Auburn: Original
by Super Saiyan Cyndaquil
Summary: Reupload of the original version of my first story. For those who haven't read it and those who have asked for this version to be brought back. It's still incomplete, but at the end of the last chapter I am also putting a summary of how the story was supposed to conclude.
1. Emerald Forest

**So this is the very first edition of Auburn. Pretty much completely untampered (which means all the old ANs and mistakes, grammatical and otherwise) from when each chapter was posted. It doesn't include the rewrite that I attempted, but that was just a shorter tale of what already was. You can thank Jefardi for this. He knew of my plans to delete it so went and saved everything to keep a record because he knew I wouldn't.**

 **I wasn't going to post this version again at all. For a while I was just sending it to anyone who requested it. Not only is that inefficient for me, but it's inconvenient for everyone else as well. My original intent wasn't to even go that far, but I guess I underestimated how attached people were to this version. I'm obviously less than pleased with it, or this wouldn't have happened in the first place. Regardless, it's not just about what I wanted with it and I can see now perhaps I did make a rash decision just removing it entirely like I did.**

 **This doesn't change anything, but I will at least own up to it. So posting this is at least my (small) attempt at a Mea Culpa.**

 **Anyways, this isn't perfect. It's huge, for starters. I broke the chapters into "story arcs" so that way I only have to publish half a dozen chapters instead of 30+ and it beats having one massive file most people can't load. It's also forever incomplete. This isn't something I'm ever going to add to or anything. If I ever do continue Auburn, it will be from where the "new version" ended off and will diverge from there.**

 **I am, however, posting a summary at the end of the last chapter to give you an idea how it would have gone, at least. So if you're interested in that, skip to chapter 7 in the dropdown and scroll to the bottom to see how the story likely would have played out.** **It's at least something for those of you who wanted it.**

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 1: Blind_

* * *

Jaune Arc was going to die.

He hated to admit it but he really didn't see any other possible outcome at this point as every second brought him closer and closer to a (hopefully painless and immediate) imminent death by gravity. This wasn't what he signed up for...at least not what he thought he signed up for.

He just wanted to make the world a better place. Was that so bad? Sure, he'd done some bad things along the way; He did fake those transcripts to get into Beacon. However, it all evened out, right? So why was this happening to him? Why had that crazy headmaster launched them off the side of the cliff? He had so many questions but he wasn't going to get an answer to any of them if he didn't do something in the next couple seconds. The treeline for the Emerald Forest was nearly upon him.

"I'm so dead." Jaune closed his eyes and considered just waiting for nothingness to claim him. A brief flash of pain beforehand, maybe. Preferably a very, very brief flash of pain.

No.

He couldn't just give up here. He had so much to live for. He was only Seventeen years old. There were so many first experiences he needed to have. He had yet to kiss a girl. Before that how about holding hands with one. Yeah...he couldn't afford to die yet. Not like this. He didn't want to be remembered as a splat on the ground that had never even held hands with a girl.

Jaune's eyes shot open and he reached for his sword. He unsheathed it and the sheath expanded into a shield. No sooner did he complete this action and he met with the top of the trees. Leaves and small branches whipped at his face, obscuring his vision and cutting his face. He treated these as minor annoyances and brought his shield in front of himself. It was possibly the best decision of his life. The angle of his descent brought him to the trunk of the tree and his shield struck it hard. If that had been his face he would've died as quickly as he had just been envisioning.

Instead he ricocheted off with nothing more than a sudden numbness in his left arm. His right arm meanwhile flailed wildly as he tried to slow his descent by any means necessary. By mere dumb luck he managed to bury his sword into the trunk that had nearly just killed him. It splintered bark and wood apart as it gouged a horrendous wound into the tree as he continued downwards. Every second brought him closer to the earth still, but now it was at a constantly decelerating speed. He was still going a little more quickly than he would have liked but it was no longer fatal.

Finally, after not all that long at all, his feet struck the ground. They failed to support him and he crumbled to his knees and let go of his sword which remained planted firmly in the side of the tree. His shield fell to the ground next to it, his arm no longer capable of holding it. It was still too numb from the earlier impact. Jaune sat there for several minutes in complete silence as he stared with wide-eyed disbelief at the forest all around him. As feeling began returning to his arm and legs he finally realized the reality of the situation.

"I survived." He whispered before breaking out into a huge grin after hearing his own voice. He jumped to his feet and pumped his fists above his head. "I survived!" He shouted to the forest around him, not caring who he let know. At least, he didn't care until he heard the howling of several Beowulfs respond to him. "Ah, crap!" Jaune bent down and pick up his shield which popped back into its sheath form before struggling several seconds to unwedge his sword from the tree. Once his weapon was secure he took off in the direction he was sure he didn't hear a horrifying creature of Grimm respond.

After sprinting for several seconds he realized he had no idea what it was he was supposed to be doing. Professor Ozpin had given them no instructions. He told them almost nothing at all actually. Jaune thought back to the brief couple sentences the headmaster of Beacon Academy had told them.

"In front of you is the Emerald Forest. It is teeming with dangerous Grimm and as such is the ideal location for your initiation into my school. Good luck." Not a moment after he said this and they had all been rather violently catapulted off the side of a cliff and into the aforementioned forest. What was he supposed to do here? Climb back up? He didn't mind the idea of getting out of here immediately. A beeping from his pocket brought him from his thoughts and he halted his mad dash for survival to give it his attention.

He pulled his scroll out and after unlocking it saw a pending message. It read: 'Congratulations on passing the first task. Now that you've survived your fall you are to begin your second task. Locate a partner. How about...the first student you make eye-contact with. They'll be your partner for your next four years at Beacon...or until one of you dies. Do try to pick someone you'll get along with. Complete this to receive your next task.'

Jaune's eye twitched.

He was going to murder that nutty headmaster. If he made it out of here alive. Maybe faking his transcripts wasn't such a hot idea after all? There were other ways to make the world a better place. Soup kitchen. Home repair. Taking care of the elderly. No, no, no. He was here now. He couldn't turn back. He was going to complete all these stupid tasks and become the best Hunter this world had ever seen!

"Let's do this!" Jaune declared to himself as he punched his own chest. He was mindful enough to not be too loud. He didn't want to attract more Grimm. He just had to find a partner. Hopefully someone he knew; Preferably Ruby. She was nice. She looked very capable in a fight. She built that scythe of hers after all. It was also a gun! Maybe Weiss? She was gorgeous. That there was a girl he wouldn't mind giving his first hand-holding to. Yang? She seemed kinda difficult to deal with. There was also that girl on the cereal box. She seemed pretty eager to get on Team Jaune. He had some pretty good options. Now it was just locating one of them.

The sounds of a battle drew his attention. He listened more intently and made out the sounds of metal clashing with Grimm-hide. A scream of exertion followed by more clashes told Jaune it was a girl. Maybe it was one of them?! Excitedly, he took off towards the source of the noise and paused behind a giant tree. He peeked out from behind it and his head lowered slightly in disappointment.

It was some girl he didn't recognize. She had long black hair and a very cute black bow. The thing she was fighting was a terrifying sight. A giant black snake lunged at her and she barely dodged out of the way. If he remembered right that was a snake Grimm called a King Taijitu. It felt like he was forgetting a detail about it though...whatever.

Now was his chance to slip away if he wanted. The girl hadn't noticed him and seemed to be holding her own just fine. If he left her without making eye-contact they didn't have to be partners and he could find one of his earlier-thought-candidates. He didn't want to admit it but that Grimm scared him a little too. Just as he resolved himself to do this he was reminded of that detail he had been forgetting. King Taijitu had two heads…

A white snake was sneaking up on the girl. She was going to be attacked unsuspectingly from behind while she was occupied with the first head. She could die...he couldn't let that happen. He didn't want to become a Hunter to let people die just so he could be safe; The exact opposite. He would rather die for others if it meant they could live on.

"I gotta do this." He took several deep breaths and realized his knees were shaking violently. Was he gonna buckle under fear? No! He had to be brave. The white snake was pulling its head back. It was preparing to strike. She still hadn't turned to see it yet.

She was going to die.

Before that thought had even fully formed he had broken from his cover and was running to her location. The white snake lunged just as he reached her back. His shield was already deployed and raised. Its head ran smack into it and it bounced backwards from the unexpected obstacle. Jaune nearly fell on his butt from the recoil but managed to keep his balance by stepping backwards and into the back of the girl he had saved.

"Thanks." Her smooth silk-like voice didn't sound at all like she was currently engaged in a life or death struggle. "Think you can hold that one off long enough for me to finish this one?"

"Haha...leave it to me." Jaune's voice cracked as he looked at the giant snake in front of him. It was much bigger up close and he felt his vision blur out of focus as fear gripped him. He was staring down death again…

"This won't take long." He felt the softness of the girl's back disappear as she re-engaged her foe. She was giving it her all. There was no reason he shouldn't be expected to do the same.

"Here goes nothing!" Jaune forced his eyes to focus on the snake in front of him and charged forward with a furious battle shout. His sudden change in demeanor must have shocked the Taijitu because it pulled back slightly instead of lunging forward. When Jaune was what he guessed was close enough he swung his sword in a powerful cutting arc...only to fall magnificently short. He stumbled as his sword met air and nearly tripped over his own feet. "...Not what I planned." He grinned sheepishly up at the snake which lunged at him. "Crap!" Jaune let out a high-pitched scream as he raised his shield and blocked the snake's strike again.

Its head once again bounced backwards and Jaune stumbled away from it. It recovered much more quickly this time and lunged again. Jaune barely blocked this time but was knocked to his butt in the process. The snake didn't appear phased at all this time and lunged once more.

He was dead.

He couldn't raise his shield in time and was going to get ripped in half by this light-damned Grimm. At least he went out trying to protect a girl…

Said girl flew across his vision and with quick work pincered the King Taijitu's head clean off. Blood sprayed in all directions as it's head and body hit the ground. Jaune had to scoot rapidly backwards to avoid getting caught by the red splashes. Once a safe distance back he let out a sigh of relief. Twice now, he had escaped death by the skin of his teeth. He looked around for his savior but caught no sight of her.

Had she abandoned him? Jaune's heart fell as he realized the implications of this. He had sucked so horribly she had fled before the two of them could make eye-contact so she could avoid being his partner. He couldn't really blame her. That had been pretty disgraceful on his part. He deserved to be abandoned. His eyes were focused on the grass at his feet when a second pair came into view. He looked up in surprise and locked eyes with a pair of beautiful yellow ones. The girl with the bow gave him a small smile and extended her hand. Jaune took it and allowed himself to be hoisted to his feet. He couldn't help but stare at her in disbelief.

"My name is Blake Belladonna." She introduced herself with a slight incline of her head. "Thanks again for coming to my aide." Jaune opened and closed his mouth but no words came out. She was still going to thank him? He had been the one who was saved in the end. He had to let her know it was fine. She didn't have to team up with him if she didn't want to. Maybe it wasn't too late to undo this. Before he could voice any of this though, the girl he now knew as Blake gave a small chuckle. "Aren't you the guy who was in the Onsie?"

Jaune knew it should have made him embarrassed. He wasn't exactly up-to-date on the latest pj fashion in the city and had made a bit of a fool of himself last night. However, her calling him out on it in such a way made him feel comfortable. It was exactly like when he met Ruby. "The name's Jaune Arc." He pointed to himself dramatically, all his previous floundering forgotten. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

Blake rolled her eyes at his introduction but the small smile never left her face. She extended an open palm towards him. "Nice to meet you, Jaune Arc."

He took her hand and gave a single, firm shake. "Nice to meet you, partner."

Their scrolls beeped as their partnership was confirmed.

Jaune immediately fumbled for the device, eager to see his new task now that he had successfully accomplished yet another. He was on a roll. Two tasks down and he hadn't died yet. Just nearly. Twice. Who was counting?

He cast his pointless thoughts aside as his scroll began displaying its newest message from Ozpin. 'Congratulations Jaune Arc and Blake Belladonna on becoming partners. May you fight well together. Your third task begins now. To the west is a cave. Locate it, enter it, and retrieve a relic from inside. Once you've exited the cave you will be given your fourth task. Until then.'

"That sounds easy enough." Jaune looked up from his scroll to see his partner already walking. "Hey, wait up!" He pocketed his scroll and took off after her. She moved through the forest with practiced ease, almost as if she lived in it her entire life. He meanwhile crashed through it like a wild boar.

"So Blake," He began as he ducked under a tree branch that nearly whacked him in the face. "What brings you to Beacon?"

"I want to become a Huntress." Was her curt reply. He waited several seconds for her to say more but it seemed that was as much as she cared to elaborate.

"Really? What a coincidence. I'm here to become a Hunter myself!" He chuckled at his own lame humor but quickly stopped when Blake didn't join in. "I come from a line of warriors and Hunters myself. It seemed right to follow in their footsteps, you know? Besides, it feels good to help people. What about you? Why do you want to become a Huntress?" He hoped that by sharing a little about himself that she would open up. For a moment it didn't seem like it would work.

"There's...so much wrong with this world." Blake finally answered. "I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. I have to fix it."

"Ah" Jaune responded back awkwardly. That made his goals of keeping the family name going feel pretty insignificant. He decided to just let the conversation die with that and Blake seemed more than happy to leave it. So for the nearly an hour the two of them walked until they found what they could only assume was the cave their scroll mentioned.

If Jaune had to pick one word to describe the cave it would be ominous. Unreadable warnings were scrawled all around the edges of the gaping entrance that seemed to extend forever into pure darkness. Blake approached the writing and seemed to attempt to decipher their meaning. Jaune, meanwhile tried to peer deeper into the gaping black hole that was before them. He had no such luck in discerning anything.

He looked to Blake as he formed an idea but she seemed distracted so he ran back to the forest for a minute. When he returned she just seemed to be finishing and turned to look for him. When her eyes finally landed on him they widened in surprise as she noticed he was carrying something new.

"Ta da!" Jaune waved the torch he had just constructed happily above his head. It didn't look very impressive in the sunlight but he knew it would be more than enough to light up the cave ahead.

"I'm impressed. How did you even know how to make that?" Blake genuinely looked like she meant her first statement. It caused a small sense of pride to build up in Jaune's chest. Maybe she wouldn't think of him as so worthless after this?

"Oh, you know. Just something I picked up from my days of youth." He shrugged cooly.

Blake rolled her eyes at his vague answer but didn't press the point. "Shall we go find that relic?" She indicated for him to take the lead now that he had the light.

"Definitely." He strolled purposefully ahead and she fell into line with him. As he expected, it lit up the cave brilliantly and they made their way deeper into it. "Did you manage to figure out what all that writing by the entrance meant?"

Blake shook her head. "Only that this place is dangerous. We should be careful." No sooner did she say this then did the torch begin illuminating numerous skeletons scattered across the cave floor. Most of them were just the remains of rats and rodents but several here and there looked like they might even belong to a human.

Jaune gulped nervously. "I don't think we needed that writing to figure that out." Blake could only nod in silent agreement. They proceeded deeper in but this time without any talking. Jaune was far too terrified of alerting whatever it was that had created those skeletons. He did not want to end up like that one bit. Two near-death experiences in a day was enough for him thank you. He just really hoped that this light was enough to scare off anything that they came across. He would hate for something to descend upon them because they were suddenly thrust into darkness.

Maybe it was because he had this last thought, maybe it was just because he was a klutz. Either way, no sooner did those thoughts enter his brain then he tripped and stumbled over a small pebble. He fell forward and dropped the torch to catch himself. By pure dumb luck the torch fell into a puddle…

...and thrust them into complete and utter darkness.

* * *

Blake Belladonna let out a long, drawn out sigh as their only source of light was extinguished. Her eyes adjusted quickly and she could see almost as if she'd never lost the light at all in only a couple seconds. She knew though that her partner wouldn't be nearly as lucky. He was going to be completely blind the remainder of their duration in the cave.

Jaune hadn't moved from his spot on the ground. He was on his hands and knees and was just staring at the spot where he had last seen the torch. She felt bad for him. She wanted to call out to him and tell him not to worry about it. Tell him there was no harm done. She could still see after all…

...that was the one thing she didn't want him knowing. She couldn't risk her identity being compromised on only her second day into the academy. She wasn't exactly seeing another alternative either though. They were effectively stranded in here unless she revealed her secret. There was no way the torch was going to be lit again and it would take a considerable amount of time for them to stumble 'blindly' out to make another. She once again sighed as she realized what it was she had to do.

Jaune must have heard this sigh because his head jerked up and he looked in her direction with complete worry and fear on his face. "I'm so sorry, Blake! I'll fix this I swear! Don't give up on me and abandon me as a partner-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Blake interrupted him as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. No one is abandoning anyone. It was a mistake. No harm done." She took a deep breath as she prepared herself to reveal her big secret. "...I can actually see in the dark."

To her complete surprise Jaune let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness." His worry seemed to ebb away as if it had been an illusion. Instead it was replaced by what looked like awe. "You're awesome. I'm glad to have you as a partner."

"Glad?" Blake tilted her head in confusion. He wasn't mad at her for hiding her secret?

"Yeah." Jaune nodded his vigorously to emphasize his point. "You kick ass in a fight. Seem super cool, smart, and collected. You're beautiful. And now I find out you have night vision like some super-hunter from a comic book!"

Blake felt her face heat up at all his blunt praise and she was glad he couldn't see it. She was also thrilled to realize Jaune didn't actually realize what her having night-vision really meant. In a small way, she was glad he was her partner now too. She shook off these thoughts as she lifted him to his feet by the elbow. "Come on, take my hand. I'll guide us through this." Without waiting for a response she grabbed his hand and began pulling him through the darkness.

They continued for several seconds in silence. She had expected him to say something more but apparently something was distracting him now.

"...My first hand-holding."

"What?" Blake's bow twitched as she heard Jaune say something nonsensical.

Jaune was staring at where their hands were connected (not that he could actually see it). "It's my first time holding hands with a girl. Well, a girl not my mom or sisters."

Blake shook her head but smiled. "Don't get too used to it. Once you can see again, you're cut off."

"I'll savour the moment while I can then." Jaune said just a little too happily.

She was going to respond but the scenery of the cave suddenly changed as they reached what looked like a massive chamber. The walls and ceiling extended much farther and the floor dipped down to form what looked like a giant bowl. In the middle of this massive cavern was a pedestal...and on that pedestal was a chess piece; A white knight. "Jaune, I see the relic."

"Are you serious?" Jaune took a couple excited steps forward but nearly tripped because of the unexpected slant. Blake held him tight to steady him. "Let's go get it and get out of here. I still can't see anything."

"Yeah, okay." Blake took a couple steps into the cavern when her bow twitched again. They weren't alone. She could feel it. Her tension must have reached her hand because even Jaune suddenly seemed on edge.

"Blake?" He asked in hushed panic. "What is it? What's out there?"

She shook her head and then remembered he couldn't see. "I don't know. I...don't see anything." Her eyes scanned every inch of the cavern that was visible to her. There was nothing. As far as her eyes could tell it was just them. Her other senses knew better though. But until it made itself known, there was nothing she could do. "We need to move. Preferably quickly."

"Grab it and run. I like it." Jaune nodded to her plan and they both moved at a much more hastened pace. Blake had one hand on Gambol Shroud, ready for anything. Without so much as a twitch from the danger though they made it to the small monolith in the center. Not missing a beat, she snagged the chess piece and forced it into Jaune's free hand. He put it into his pocket and nodded to her.

"Let's get out of here." Jaune turned around and began to drag Blake back. She nodded as she scanned once more into the chamber. Sure that it was safe she turned around only to finally see it.

"Wait!" Blake pulled at his hand hard and nearly yanked him off of feet.

"What is it?" Jaune looked to her but she didn't respond so instead he squinted off into the dark. "...Is that a lightbulb? Is there electricity in here?" He asked as his eyes caught something.

Blake shook her head. "That's no lightbulb. It's the tip of a Deathstalker." Jaune couldn't make out the enormity of the Grimm that was before him but unfortunately to Blake it was all too clear. The giant, scorpion-esque creature had been resting on a ledge above where they had entered the chamber. Now that it saw them though it had climbed down from it's perch and was blocking their exit out of here.

"Can we get around it?" Jaune asked hopefully.

"I don't know." Blake shook her head. "I'm going to have to distract it. Once I give you the go you have to get through."

"No way!" Jaune began to protest but Blake gave his hand a fierce squeeze that shut him up.

"I'm the only one that can see it. You can't fight it blind. Besides, my abilities specialize in subtlety. If anyone has a chance of sneaking by it, it's me." She pulled out Gambol Shroud and readied it in front of herself.

"Alright, but if you get in trouble you better let me know. I won't let anything happen to you." Jaune turned back to the only source of light he could see and watched it carefully.

"Thanks but I'll be fine. Now let's go. It looks like it knows we have to go through there to get out. It's waiting for us to make the first move." Blake didn't wait for a response as she charged forward.

"Damnit." She heard Jaune grumble behind her, clearly unhappy with the situation as he ran after her. It was gonna be fine though. Her big concern was whether or not he could make it out past the Deathstalker without her guiding him.

As she closed in on it the Deathstalker finally started to move forward too. It let out a horrid screech that echoed violently across the cave walls as it swung one of its pincers at her. Blake easily dodged the pincer and swung at the face of the giant scorpion. To her great annoyance her blade bounced pointlessly off its head. It was quite a bit thicker than she thought if it was able to take a blow from Gambol Shroud and not even crack. It then made a noise that she could only assume was in irritation as its deadly tail took a jab at her. She left a shadow clone in her place and dodged the attack and to the Deathstalker it probably looked like it killed her. She was only too quick to prove it wrong though as she pull the katana blade out from her sheath and attempted to scissor its tail off with the bladed end of both her weapons.

Again she didn't even scratch it and only seemed to make it more angry as it swung at her once again with its pincers. She left another shadow clone to be destroyed as she put distance between the two of them. It didn't seem to fall for the same trick twice as it immediately began to look around for her again. It found her a little too quickly and she grimaced. Her katana folded into its pistol form and she began firing bursts of dust bullets to anger it further. It worked and the Deathstalker finally began to give chase.

"Jaune! Now!" Blake yelled as she ran sideways while still spraying it with gunfire. It followed after her perfectly and she caught a glimpse of Jaune as he made it to the chamber entrance.

"Blake, I think I'm here! Now get outta there!" He shouted and looked desperately into the darkness, unable to see them.

"I'm on my way!" The Deathstalker finally caught up to her and once again attacked with its tail. Blake easily dodged and ended up once again inside its guard. She jumped at one of its arms and kicked off it and landed on its back before kicking off once again, flying in the air over the Deathstalker and behind it. "Later." She turned her head to grin at it and only realized too late she had made a mistake. Its tail was swinging backwards and right at her. It was too close to dodge and she couldn't turn around quickly enough to block it. And so the back end of the tail struck her cleanly in the back. She yelled out a cry of pain as she was launched forward and towards the ground.

With a loud thud she crashed and rolled several feet, losing her weapon in the process. Her aura had saved her life but did little to mitigate the pain. It was going to be a solid thirty seconds before she was going to be able to move again. That was assuming her vision quit swimming too. Not that she had thirty seconds. The Deathstalker was running at her again and Jaune couldn't see. She was going to die like this. Facedown in a cave by a giant Grimm. She would likely be skewered by its tail. Hopefully it would be quick. At least Jaune had survived. Maybe this wasn't so bad? It was true she hadn't really helped the world out much. She'd done more to it hurt it, actually. She couldn't help but have pointless thoughts like this as her final moment approached.

"Blake!" Jaune? He sounded really close. Had he come back for her? That idiot! He was going to get himself killed and her death would be for nothing. He couldn't see the damn thing and even if he could, how was he supposed to fight it? His sword and shield were drawn but even Gambol Shroud had been ineffective at so much as scratching it. What did he hope to accomplish?

"Jaune, you idiot." She tried to yell but it came out no more than a raspy whisper. "Run and live." She attempted to turn her head towards him but the site of the Deathstalker caused her to lock up in fear. It was practically on top of her and its tail was descending. This was it. She was dead.

"Get away from her you monster!" Jaune yelled at the top of his lungs. With not even a second to spare he got between Blake and the stinger with his shield and managed to deflect it. The stinger glanced to the right and slammed into the ground right next to Blake's head.

"H-How?" Blake couldn't believe it. Jaune was practically blind but had managed to intercept the strike.

"Blake?" Jaune began looking around the floor in panic for her. In his blundering he kicked her in the ribs and tripped over her body. "Omph!" He hit the ground rather hard and his shield slid away from him.

"Jaune!" Blake coughed in agony as the wind was knocked out from her lungs. His foot had hurt quite a bit.

"Sorry!" Jaune groaned as he rolled over. His eyes widened in fear and Blake turned to see what he was looking at. To her horror, the Deathstalker had raised its stinger again and was prepared to take another jab. But which one of them was it going to aim for? They were both on the ground. Regardless, she still couldn't move properly. If it came for her she was dead anyways. Jaune didn't look much better.

It apparently chose it's target as its stinger descended...right towards her. This time though, Jaune didn't have his shield to protect her. That didn't stop him from trying. "Whoa!" He rolled up to her and grabbed her body. Holding her tight against himself, he rolled them out of the way and the stringer struck the ground. He was sure to stop with himself on bottom. Her hair flayed onto his face and he had to swat it out of way so he could see the light of the stinger.

"Jaune! What are you doing?" Blake attempted to pick herself off him but he held her tight to his body.

"I'm saving our lives!" Jaune rolled them over again. The sound of the stringer crashing into the ground told her they just barely dodged it.

"You can't do anything by trying to save me! Stand up and fight it!" They rolled and dodged once again.

"I've got a plan!" The Deathstalker was getting quicker with its strikes and Jaune had to keep rolling side to side without more than a second pause now. The whole thing was starting to make Blake dizzy. Finally he quit rolling them around when they ended up directly under the Deathstalker. The hail of stinger strikes paused as the giant Grimm lost sight of them.

"Your plan was hide under it?" She hissed into his ear.

"No! This was my plan!" She felt the hand that still held his sword leave her back as he thrust upwards. A violent scream of pain let Blake know that the attack was successful. Jaune pulled his sword out and stabbed at it again. Then again. Each stab caused the Deathstalker's roars of pain to get louder. It's legs buckled and it nearly collapsed on them. Their luck held out though and it stumbled away from them and proceeded to thrash violently a short distance away.

They sat in silence for a few moments as they both gasped desperately for breath. Finally, Blake had to know what had just transpired. "How did you know its weakness was its underbelly?"

"Weakness?" Jaune let his head hit the ground and looked up at her. "I just attacked the only thing I could get at while rolling around." Was he being serious? It certainly looked that way. He looked just as thankful that his strategy worked as she felt.

"Well, it actually saved us." Blake broke eye-contact to watch it continue to struggle to stand up. It was wounded badly and wouldn't be paying them anymore mind.

"So, umm…" Jaune grumbled awkwardly and Blake turned back to him. He had a very deep blush on his face. "...I don't suppose I could ask for you to get off me." Her face got hot as she felt her own blush spread across her face. She attempted to get off of him but only halfway succeeded before her knees buckled and she fell back on top of him. "Blake! You okay?" He sat up and held her gently in a sitting position.

"I'm fine." Even she knew she didn't sound very convincing. "I just took a nasty fall earlier and my body is still recovering."

"Guide me to your weapon and my shield. I'll grab them and get us out of here." Jaune started to get up but a tremor knocked him back to his butt. "What was that!?"

Blake turned and saw the Deathstalker stumble into the cavern wall. It swayed away from it before smashing into it once again. To her terror, the wall creaked and cracked. The crack spread like a spiderweb and before long covered half the cavern. One of the cracks broke loose and a boulder fell. It smashed into the back of the Grimm and it let out its most horrendous screech yet. Jaune and Blake covered their ears to keep the horrid noise out but that was now the least of their worries. Several more hunks of rock broke free and one landed a little more than too close for Blake's comfort.

"It's causing a cave in! We need to get out of here! Now!" Blake shook Jaune urgently and he nodded. He jumped to his feet and hefted Blake off hers.

"Your weapons?"

"About a meter behind me." Blake was astonished as he easily carried her over to where she directed but fumbled pointlessly as he tried to grab it. "Let me down. I can walk." She tried to break free from him but this only caused him to drop her. She landed painfully on the ground.

"I'm sorry! You okay?" She barely heard him ask over the sound of a boulder collapsing right next to them. He let out a girly shriek in surprise.

"I'm fine." Blake hissed in pain as she answered. She grabbed Gambol Shroud and stumbled to her feet. "Let's get out of here now." The Deathstalker was no longer a threat but the cave-in it was causing sure was one. She attempted to run forward but stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Blake!" Jaune called as he stumbled around trying to find her. He found his shield first and immediately retracted it and slid his sword away. Another boulder landed right next to him and it broke into pieces and the debris barely missed them. "Blake, where'd you go?"

"I'm here! I can't run! You're gonna have to help me limp outta here!" She thought about just telling him to leave but knew there was no way he'd go for it. So she just saved them both the time and agreed to accept his help.

"I got you!" Jaune bent down and managed to find her shoulders. He once again hefted her up but this time placed her on her feet. She draped an arm over his shoulder and together the two of them began to amble out of the chamber at a pace that made Blake very nervous. More and more debris was falling all around them and it was only by sheer coincidence they hadn't been hit yet. She gave one last look behind her to see the Deathstalker get buried beneath a pile of rubble and hopefully die. "Where the heck are we even going?" Jaune was more or less walking for both of them but he was completely blind. The sounds of earth shattering all around him had to be terrifying.

It was terrifying even though she could see it too though. "Just keep going straight. You're doing fine." Blake coached as he finally got them out of the chamber. They weren't safe yet though. Even out here the cave was giving way.

"How can I dodge the debris if I can't see?" Jaune looked around frantically but it was fruitless and Blake knew it.

"There would be no dodging it even if you could see! Just keep your eyes in front of you! All we can do is go forward." Blake ordered harshly. They couldn't afford any distractions. Fortunately her partner quickly listened to her orders and helped her limp towards the entrance. After several agonizing seconds the light at the end of the tunnel came into sight.

"Ah! I see it!" Jaune sounded relieved to finally have one of his senses returned to him. "We're gonna make it!" Just as he shouted this the inevitable happened and a baseball sized rocked clocked him in the back of the head. He stumbled forward and dropped Blake as he collapsed to the ground.

"Jaune! Jaune!" Blake cried in desperation as she got to her knees and shook him. She watched in horror as he waved in and out of consciousness. Blood flowed freely from the back of his head. She had no choice. She wasn't feeling one-hundred percent yet but she had to try to drag him out. He hadn't abandoned her and there was no way she was abandoning him. "Come on, Jaune!" She placed her arms under him and hefted his heavy body up.

He seemed only partially aware of what was going on as he managed to at least stand with her help. He took a couple steps with them leaning on one another for support before he stumbled again. His eyes blanked out before refocusing and then blanked out again. It was all she could do just to hold him up. A rock half their size collapsed in front of them. There was no way she could drag him around it like this.

"Jaune! You gotta snap outta it! You have to do it for me!" She shook him as she racked her brain for a way to bring him back. Nothing came to mind so she attempted to pull him away again. He didn't even take a step this time and she almost dropped him. "Jaune! If you don't come around right this second we are both going to die! Do you understand me? You are going to die!"

A spark returned to his eyes and he looked ahead of them with all the determination he could possibly muster. "That's it Jaune! Now let's go!" They got around the boulder and made their way to the entrance once again. And this time they made it. Just as they stumbled outside the entire mouth of the cave collapsed. No one was ever entering or leaving it again.

"We...we made it." Blake almost broke into tears as she and Jaune both fell to their knees. They were still holding one another for dear life as they stared out at the trees in front of them. At the beautiful blue sky above them. Jaune began chuckling next to her. It must have been contagious because it caused Blake to let out a giggle of her own. After that it was like the floodgates had been broken. They both broke out into full-out laugher that lasted a solid minute before showing any signs of dying down.

"That was one hell of a thing." Jaune grinned a big stupid grin as he pulled out the white knight piece they had retrieved. "I'm so glad you're my partner." He repeated what he had said earlier in the cave.

"I'm glad you're my partner too." Blake really meant that. Anyone else might have ran and abandoned her. He stayed though and fought a Deathstalker while blind for her. "I'm sorry I tried to handle that Grimm on my own. I thought you would have only got in my way." She turned to him and realized that they were still clinging rather tightly to each other. She also noticed how ragged he looked. Cuts and nicks from when she first met him were still there. The back of his head and down his neck and into his hoodie was coated in blood. That didn't begin to cover all the bruises he seemed to have sustained while in there. "Your aura...it isn't healing you."

"My what?" Jaune turned to face her and their noses almost touched. Blake didn't have time to care about things like that right now.

"Aura, Jaune." She repeated.

"Gazuntite."

Blake raised her eyebrow at him. "Do you...know what aura is?"

Jaune's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to respond but Blake put a finger to his lips to shut him up. She already knew the answer and she didn't care to hear whatever excuse he was about to sprout. "Let me unlock it for you."

"You can do that?" He received no answer as Blake closed her eyes and repeated the chant she had learned in her head. After a moment she felt her energy drain and Jaune began glowing brightly. It was miraculous. All his wounds closed up and his bruises vanished. Blake was still so close to him she even felt his aura take her own fatigue away. That was unheard of! There might be something more to this guy than meets the eye. "Wow…" Jaune looked at his hand and flexed it in astonishment. "...I feel brand new. What did you do?"

"I just gave you a small push. Everything else was all you." She smiled and broke away from him as she got to her feat. "I'll give you a book about aura when we get out of this light-forsaken forest."

"Speaking of getting out of here," He followed her lead and stood up. "What do we do with this thing?" He held the chess piece up between them. Just as he asked this their scrolls beeped and they opened it up to see their next instructions. To their confusion their scrolls displayed a map of the forest they were in. The map was littered with numerous red dots. Blake noticed one of them was at about right where they were.

After several seconds a message popped up that read as followed. 'On this map is the location of all the other teams of two. Locate the team that has retrieved the piece identical to yours. Be warned though, if you come across a team with a chess piece of the opposite color of yours you will have to battle to move on. That is all.'

They both stared at their scrolls for several seconds before turning to one another and saying the same thing.

"Are you kidding me?!"

* * *

 **AN:** Hey there. Thanks for checking out my story; My first real attempt at RWBY fanfiction. I had initially planned to do the entire initiation thing in one chapter but this part alone ended up breaking 7.5k words so I decided I'm probably gonna have to break it up into three parts lest I have a 20k+ first chapter. This is gonna end up as a JaunexBlake as it is my favorite ship. Anyways, can't promise anything like a quick update as most of my time is being consumed by The Evil Within at the moment. (I had initially planned to write the whole Initiation arc up first before posting anything but that game has seriously halted my progress so I just tidied up this part and decided to see how it did.)

So like it? Hate it? Let me know. Until next time.

* * *

 **Au** **burn**

 _Chapter 2: Duel_

* * *

Jaune was about done with these tasks!

They had just been through hell in that cave and they were supposed to do more? Just how many things did he have to go through in order to become a hunter at this school? Maybe the headmaster knew he had faked his transcripts and was just screwing with him at this point?

"I don't want to have to fight other students…" Jaune moaned into his scroll. Grimm were one thing. They wouldn't laugh at you when you lost. They would just eat you. He'd prefer that to the humiliation of getting his face beaten in by another student with one of their high-tech custom weapons.

"We might not have to." Blake finally spoke up after several moments of silence. She had been inspecting the map on her scroll very carefully.

"What do you mean?" He looked at his for a moment again but it only made him feel more hopeless. "There's almost a dozen other teams on this map right now. The odds of us guessing the right one is nearly impossible."

"We're hunters-in-training right now, Jaune. This is a hunt." Blake explained, never taking her eyes from the map. "All the clues we need have likely been given to us. We just need to figure out what they are and deduce which team we're supposed to meet up with. That and hope they do the same thing. If they can't figure this much out I'm not sure I even want to be teamed up with them."

"Yeah." Jaune agreed as he felt himself sweat. "Who'd want to be paired with a couple idiots that can't even figure that out?" He let out a nervous chuckle.

"You're fine, Jaune. We've already faced life and death together." He let out a sigh of relief at her comment and looked at the map on his scroll.

"So...any idea what our clues are?" He asked hopefully. He couldn't even fathom the answer.

Blake sighed. "I can't figure it out at all and if I don't soon, we might have a bigger problem. Once teams start moving no one is going to be in their starting position which might be a clue in itself." Jaune looked back in a panic at his map and wracked his brain for an answer. After staring at it for only a couple seconds he concluded one thing.

They were doomed.

Blake let out a groan of frustration as she seemed to be having thoughts similar to him. It could also be because other players were starting to move. He began to mumble to himself to vent. "Stupid red dots. All look the same. If only these guys acted like their chess piece."

Blake let out a gasp. "That's it!"

"You figured it out?" Jaune turned to her excitedly to see her giving him a similar look.

"You just said it yourself!" She replied before turning back to her map.

"I did?" He pointed to himself and tried to remember. "About the dots being the same?"

"About moving like chess pieces!" Blake probably should have sounded irritatedly but she was too excited for that.

"Ah, yeah!" Jaune pointed in the air as if he understood. "How does that help again?"

"All the quadrants on this map are broken up into squares. Squares that look awfully similar to a chess board. We grabbed a knight piece. If we assume that we move as a knight would and our partners do the same thing…" She let herself trail off.

"We'll meet up at the same spot!" Jaune completed for her as he finally understand. He sunk a little though as another worry hit him. "Knights can move quite a few different ways though. How are we supposed to know which way we're supposed to go?"

"Process of elimination." Blake replied without taking her eyes off the map. "Once I find all the possible spots we can land I just have to find another team that can land in one of the same exact spots. Assuming they also move like a knight piece, of course."

"Of course." Jaune attempted to sound sophisticated as he agreed with her. He couldn't help but admire her cleverness right now. He would be screwed if not for her. It was a good thing he had got involved with that King Taijitu after all.

"I've got it!" Blake spoke with barely contained excitement. "And it looks like they might have figured it out too. We've got another team heading to what should be the same quadrant!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go meet our teammates!" At first the idea of more allies sounded exciting. But as Jaune and Blake ran to meet them he began to have doubts about teaming up with others. Blake had turned out okay for him but what if the others couldn't stand him? What if they thought he was holding them back? He didn't want the others to think he was a burden. What if they convinced Blake of the same? No, that was ridiculous. She had just said it herself: They faced life and death together in that cave. They had a bond now. What exactly that bond was, Jaune couldn't be sure. However, it was undeniably there. He just had to believe he would form it with these new teammates.

With these hopes and doubts in his mind they arrived at their destination.

Jaune took a look around the clearing of the forest they found themselves in. By some luck they had managed to not run into any Grimm on the way. "So, this is the place?"

"It would appear so. We just need to hope our teammates get here too. It looks like they took a detour. They may have run into some Grimm." Blake had barely taken her eyes off her scroll as she monitored the situation of all the other students.

"Should we head to meet them midway?" If they were in trouble, Jaune wanted to help them immediately. No better way to make a good first impression than to run in a help them. It seemed to work with Blake anyways. She shook her head in response but her eyes widened slightly and darted off into the forest. For a second he almost thought he saw her bow twitch. "Blake! What's wrong now? Grimm?" He unsheathed his sword and expanded his shield.

"No. Another team is barreling towards our direction fairly quickly." Bake brought her hand up and rested it on the handle of her blade. "They'll run into us at this rate…we should hide. If they have a black piece we'll have to fight."

Jaune was about to nod in agreement when he heard what sounded like something crashing through the forest. "They're being pursued?" He turned to his partner for confirmation and she nodded.

"Judging by the sounds I would guess an Ursa. A big one." Great...more big Grimm.

He sighed as he resigned himself to what he had to say next. "We gotta help them. Enemies or allies. I would feel horrible if they got killed because we ignored them."

Blake let out a small smirk. "I figured you would say something like that. You're too nice." Despite saying this she made no movement to go hide and instead readied herself for battle.

Jaune let out a happy chuckle. "Thanks, Blake." He knew he could count on her to support him.

"Don't thank me yet. You've got an Aura now so I'm expecting more from you." This caused Jaune to gulp nervously. He wasn't exactly used to people expecting things from him. Rather, people never really wanted or needed him to do anything. It was a terrifying responsibility that he wasn't sure he was ready for...yet he couldn't help but feel a tinge of happiness. For the first time, someone was depending on him. He couldn't afford to let her down. As he thought this he felt something that he could only describe as real, genuine confidence wash over him. He could do this.

No sooner did he think this than two of his classmates came bursting through the brush at full speed. One was a rather tall, muscular boy with a mace. The other was lanky and had an unusual green mohawk. They paused for half a second when they saw the two hunters in front of them but immediately bolted again when they heard a terrible roar from just behind them. As Blake had predicted, an Ursa that was easily twice as big as either of them thrashed into the clearing.

Jaune raised his sword above his head and gave a battlecry as he charged forward. The Ursa paused its pursuit of the other hunters-in-training as it appeared to take notice of its two new adversaries. Realizing that they were more of a threat than it's previous targets it turned to them.

The Ursa raised its claw menacingly towards Jaune but he realized with small pride that it didn't cause him to lock up in fear as it would have not even two hours ago. Apparently four near death experiences made you a little braver. Or maybe just numb to the fear? Regardless, instead of backing off he continued his charge forward and raised his shield. It swung at him and he knocked its claw aside with a bat from his shield.

He stepped inside its guard just as it swung at him with its other claw. Blake appeared right next to him and blocked this strike with Gambol Shroud. Jaune stabbed the Grimm in the stomach and it roared in pain before attempting to take a bite out of his head. He pulled his sword out and in perfect sync with Blake jumped backwards and out of harms way.

"Jaune! Give me a boost." He made eye-contact with his teammate for only half-a-second before he understood her intent.

"You got it!" He bent down and raised his shield over his head. Blake jumped up and the moment her feet touched his shield he pushed upwards, propelling her into the air and high above the Ursa.

It gave another roar and charged at him again. Jaune got back to his feet and blocked one strike with his shield. It swung at him again and he deflected it with his sword but the force of the blow put him off-balance. He wasn't going to be able to respond if it swung again. Fortunately before it could, Blake descended onto its back, burying her blade into its spine. It collapsed forward and Jaune had to backpedal to avoid being crushed. It hit the ground but continued to roar in defiance so he stepped forward and finished it by decapitation. Blood sprayed violently from its neck as its head hit the ground.

The whole fight had lasted only about thirty seconds and was the first time Jaune had faced a Grimm and not thought he would die. Maybe he was cut out for this after all?

"Not bad." Blake seemed to share in this sentiment as she climbed off the back of the Ursa and gave him an approving smile. It turned to a frown though as she regarded the two students in front of her. Jaune turned to them and saw them looking at their scrolls. He pulled out his own and saw a message had appeared while they had been fighting.

'Jaune Arc and Blake Belladonna possess the White Knight piece. Cardin Winchester and Russell Thrush possess the Black Rook piece. As mandated from the previous message, these two teams must battle. The winning condition is render your opponents unable to combat further or until the other team surrenders. If either teammate flees the scene of the battle it'll be considered automatic surrender.'

After he finished reading his scroll he looked up nervously at the two in front of him. They were staring them down and were reaching for their weapons. Blake stepped forward and called out to them. "You really intend to fight us after we saved your lives?"

"No one asked you to do that!" The one Jaune guessed was Cardin spit at them. "We had it under control!"

"I could tell that by the looks of fear on your faces as you fled." Blake taunted with a smirk on her face. This caused both boys to glow red in the face with anger.

"Blake…" Jaune tugged at her sleeve lightly. He didn't want to have to fight them if he didn't have to but he also wasn't comfortable with her so openly insulting them. He probably would have fled too if he didn't have such a competent partner by his side.

Blake may have picked up on this because she gave his hand an empathetic squeeze. "If they don't back down Jaune, we have no choice but to fight them. It's them or us. I'm sure you're not gonna choose them?" She was right and he knew it. So with great reluctance he nodded and stepped towards them as well.

"You saw how easily we dispatched that Ursa! We don't want to do the same to you!" Jaune held his shield in front of himself and readying his sword as he spoke. It still gleamed with the blood of the creature behind them. Blake planted Gambol Shroud at her feet in a show of support.

Cardin sneered and pulled out a giant mace from his back. "I'll make you losers eat those words!" He shouted and slammed it into the ground. It caused a miniature explosion that launched hunks of dirt and rock right at them. Jaune stepped in front of Blake and let his shield block all the debris.

"You take him. I'll handle the dagger-wielder who's hanging back." Blake assigned the roles that made the most sense to him too. A single mace shouldn't be a problem...even if it did cause explosions. He would likely be overwhelmed by a pair of daggers however.

"Alright, but just incapacitate him. I don't want anyone to get hurt more than necessary." He was still against this but they really had no choice anymore. So with reluctance, he charged forward. Blake ran just a couple paces behind him.

"I'm going to leave a clone in front of you. When he swings at it, take the shot. Don't pay any mind to it getting hit; It's not me." Jaune wasn't exactly sure what she meant by that but he could only nod and agree to her plan. There was no time to get details as every second brought him closer to the boy that was quite a bit taller than him. He raised his mace high above his head, prepared to bring it down on anyone foolish enough to get within its reach.

Just before they got up to him Blake put on a burst of speed and dashed around Jaune. She charged right at Cardin with Gambol Shroud raised. He didn't hesitate to bring his mace down right on her head. For a split second it looked like he landed a clean shot and that Blake was all but a goner but Jaune remembered her earlier warning and sure enough the doppelganger in front of him faded from existence, leaving a stunned and confused Cardin.

Jaune didn't hesitate to use this to his advantage and bashed the taller boy in the mouth with his shield. He toppled to the ground but managed to hold onto this mace. Jaune flicked at it with his sword, disarming him before raising the blade to his throat. The bigger boy froze in fear and Jaune took the opportunity to see how Blake was doing.

He needn't have worried. In a dazzling display of skill she quickly overpowered her opponent and brought him to his knees. Jaune couldn't help but break into a big grin. Thanks to Blake's little tactic they had won without almost any resistance. He was honestly starting to feel like the two of them could do anything.

Unfortunately for him, he let his gaze linger just a little too long and Cardin took advantage of his distraction. He grabbed Jaune's foot and threw it backwards, effectively causing Jaune to flail for balance and stumble off of him. "Oh, crap!"

"Jaune!" Blake turned as she saw him struggle not to fall over but she was too far away to react.

"Have some payback you punk!" Cardin, still on the ground, grabbed his mace and sat up while swinging it. Jaune had no way to bring his shield around.

It was going to hit him!

Time seemed to stand still as the mace inched closer and closer. Jaune racked his brain for a way out but nothing came to mind. If it exploded when it made contact would he die? Probably. Either way, he was about to find out. The mace made contact with his chest and his vision flashed white.

Everything after that was blank.

* * *

Did he die?

Everything was still white so that seemed like the most logical explanation.

What was this sensation he was feeling all over his body? It kind of felt like tingling. He focused in on it and realized at once that it was pain. It caused him to gasp and suddenly he was assaulted by several senses at once.

His vision began to return but everything was blurry. He could make out a lot of green and brown. That was likely the trees. His eyes registered movement from several different people but he couldn't make out who was who or how many there were. It was also weird that they were at a distance. Hadn't he been standing right next to them?

Then he remembered that Cardin's mace must have exploded on contact when it hit him. He must have been launched backwards and if he had to guess, right into a tree. It would explain the horrid back-pain he was feeling. Not that there was a part of him that didn't hurt.

As he waited for his vision to return he focused on his other senses. He smelled really smoky...he really hoped he wasn't covered in burns. His ears were working but the only thing he could hear was a really loud ringing, almost as if someone had set off an alarm clock inside of his head. The last thing was the strong taste of copper in his mouth. He could even feel the blood dribble down his chin. Needless to say, he was in really bad shape.

Finally, his vision quit swimming enough for him to make out the people that were dancing around in his vision. Cardin and Russell were pushing Blake back. That was kind of weird, he thought. She was probably skilled enough to take them both so why was she having trouble? Then he noticed that she kept glancing over to him, probably wondering if he was dead. Then it hit him: She was worried about him and wasn't able to focus properly on the fight because of it. How long had he been sitting here like this? Had it just been a few seconds, or several minutes? There was no way to tell.

It looked like she might be calling out to him but his ears were still ringing too loudly for him to actually hear anything that was happening around him. He had to let her know he was alright but how could he do that? He couldn't exactly call out and moving seemed a little out of the question. He was propped up against a tree in sitting position...maybe he could use the tree as support? He needed to get some kind of response from his limbs first for that to work.

He looked down at his hands and noticed a couple things at once. First, his shield and sword weren't anywhere near him. A quick glance told him they had been blasted about half-way across the clearing in either direction. The second thing he noticed was that he was covered in white energy that could only be his aura. Once he realized what it was he also realized that every second he felt more of his senses return and the pain lessened. He was being healed!

Thank the light for Aura. He couldn't be more thankful to Blake for having unlocked his earlier than he was right now. It had literally saved his life. He would have died beyond a shadow of a doubt without it. Still, it wasn't going fast enough for him. His partner was in trouble and needed him now.

So he focused all the energy he could into his hands. At first he didn't get even the smallest of a response. Then, he felt his fingers twitch. His movements were returning! Soon, he was able to move his whole arm. Then the other arm and soon his legs. Slowly but surely, using the tree behind him as support, he pushed himself up to his feet.

He saw Blake catch the movement and her face lit up in relief. She knew he was alive. He was going to make it. That is, if Cardin didn't have anything to say about it. He caught sight of Jaune standing now too and immediately tried to make a break for him. Blake wasn't about to have it and attempted to impede his progress but Russell managed to hold her off long enough for Cardin to get some distance away from her.

He shouted something that Jaune assumed was threatening and raised the mace above his head again as he charged him. Jaune grimaced as he pushed himself off the tree. He wasn't in exactly tip-top shape and he was also unarmed. He didn't know much about Aura but he guessed it wasn't infinite and if he took another hit like that he was probably going to die for real.

In short: he was in serious trouble.

He couldn't let that stop him now though. He had just dodged death for the fifth time that day and wasn't about to take it for granted. Blake was counting on him now too. It was his goof-up that caused their current predicament. So it was up to him to fix it.

He raised his fists up to his face and took a boxing stance. It must have looked like a last-ditch effort to Cardin because he bust out into laughter, not that Jaune could hear it. Still, it pretty much was. He just had to make it work. He wasn't going to get another chance this time. With that thought, Cardin was on him.

He swung the mace down and Jaune did the only thing he could think of: he threw dirt in his eyes.

He had been sure to scrape up a small patch when he was getting to his feet and it had saved his life. Cardin swung the mace too far to his left and hit only air as he coughed and sputtered while attempting to wipe his eyes clean.

Jaune didn't hesitate to use the opening to sock Cardin right in the nose with his bare fist. The bigger boy stumbled backwards and Jaune punched at his wrist, disarming him once again. Cardin sneered defiantly at him and Jaune felt something inside of him snap. He couldn't be sure why. Maybe it was because the guy had almost blown him up? Maybe it was because he had been tag-teaming his partner? Maybe it was for the simple reason that the guy just plain seemed like a jerk. Regardless, his vision swam with red and he unleashed a vicious series of punches that the bigger boy simply had no chance of defending against. After nearly fifteen seconds of his relentless assault, Cardin fell backwards and didn't so much as twitch.

Jaune stood gasping for breath as his rage subsided and he realized that he was able to hear some things again. There was still a small ringing but even that was disappearing. Man, Aura was really something special if it was responsible for his speedy recovery.

"Jaune!" He looked up to see Blake running at him. Russell was also on the ground. He was about to raise his arm in a wave but she kept running until she ran right into him and enveloped him in a big hug. "I thought you died!" It sounded like she was choking back tears as she clung to him tightly.

"Who? Me?" He attempted to joke about it but his voice came out hoarse and rough. He sighed as he realized that he had really messed up there. "Sorry." He mumbled as he awkwardly patted her back. "I nearly got you kicked out of Beacon."

She pulled back as if she had been slapped and gave him a look of disbelief. "You think I'm worried about getting kicked out because you died?" He tilted his head in confusion at her question. That was what she was worried about, right? His clumsiness had almost cost them the match and without him she would have been sent back for failing initiation. So naturally, that was her concern, wasn't it?

"I was worried that you died because you're my friend, you idiot!" Blake looked like she was fighting back the urge to hit him. Her words alone felt like a slap enough though. Not a violent one, but rather a wake-up call. It had never crossed his mind that Blake would have considered him a friend in the short amount of time they had known each other. He had assumed everything she had done for him up to this point was simply so she could pass and become a full-time Beacon student. Needless to say...he felt like a real idiot.

"Blake...I-" His mouth snapped shut as he tried to figure out what to say to her. She only waited silently. His next words were clearly very important to her. "It's like you said. I'm an idiot. I thought there was no way you'd consider someone with such little skill your friend and was only sticking with me out of obligation to pass. Believe me though, I want nothing more than to be your friend and I'm really happy you consider me one. That is if you still do."

Blake's eyes softened and she let out a tired sigh. She then rested a hand on his shoulder. "Of course I still do. I know it may seem odd that I think of you so highly already...you can be rather pathetic."

"I accept that."

"But, you and I have stared down death together. I thought for sure that Deathstalker was going to kill me in that cave but you saved my life. Not only did you fend it off but you helped me out of that collapsing death trap when I couldn't even walk. Those two things alone have earned my utmost respect, Jaune. You may not be strong...or skilled...or clever either, but you have a good heart. That's something this world needs." She took her hand off his shoulder and lightly bumped his chest with her fist.

He gave her a small smile which she returned. "Some of those things you said...were pretty hurtful. I'd like to think I'm at least a little clever." Blake rolled her eyes but her smile didn't waver. "But thanks. That's the first time anyone has ever said anything like that to me. I never thought I would hear those words from someone as reliable as you." She looked ready to respond but their scrolls updated and they pulled them out to look at them.

'Congratulations to Jaune Arc and Blake Belladonna. You've won the duel and are allowed to continue the exam. As a bonus for winning, I'll give you a hint to find your teammates. Look up.'

That was all the message said. "...Look up?" Jaune asked quizzically. He looked to Blake and she only shrugged before pointing to the sky. As they tilted their heads upwards it looked like something was rapidly descending towards them.

Rather than something...someone.

"Ruby!?"

* * *

 **AN:** Wow, so here's that. Now I know I said in my last authors note that this initiation arc was gonna be three chapters long...well I got up to here in this chapter and realized that that's about impossible unless I just continue to give really long chapters. I don't know how the rest of you feel but I think generally about between 4k to 5k words is long enough. Maybe I'm mistaken and you like the endless scrolling though? Anyways, this is more than likely gonna be five chapters for this arc now.

Length issues aside, this felt like a really good place to end this part and I've kept you waiting long enough. I got really motivated by all the positive feedback I received so thank you very much for that!

Next time the team is fully assembled!

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 3: Nevermore_

* * *

"Ruby!?" Jaune gasped as he recognized the person that was quickly entering a collision course with the ground.

"You know her?" Blake had also spoken briefly with her last night but had not expected to meet her again like this.

"Jaune! Blake! Help me!" Ruby was within earshot now and was desperately flailing for something to grab onto.

"...I'm going to regret this." Jaune grumbled as he ran to where he was approximating Ruby would land.

"A little to the left, Jaune!" Blake called out helpfully.

"Left…" Jaune looked at his hands to figure out which way was left and then shuffled directly under Ruby in just the nick of time. He caught her/she crashed into him and they both ended up a pile of arms and legs on the ground. Fortunately for Ruby, Jaune had wound up on the bottom. "Damn...I think that's it for my Aura." He groaned.

"I owe you one." Ruby groaned too. Her Aura combined with landing on Jaune had definitely mitigated the fall but she was still pretty sore.

"So you're supposed to be our teammate?" Blake asked as she extended a hand to help Ruby up. Ruby looked perplexed as she took it and got to her feet.

"How do you figure that?" She pulled out the chess piece she was hiding and it was revealed to be the other white knight piece.

"We got a hint for beating up those two." Blake hiked her thumb behind her towards Cardin and Russell.

"Here's ours." Jaune recovered quickly enough even with low Aura and held up their piece. Ruby's eyes lit up in excitement as she realized that they were in fact on the same team. "By the way, where's your partner?" The excitement was just as quickly replaced with fear.

"Oh no...she's gonna kill me. Oh no, oh no!" Ruby began pacing in place as she looked in the sky for something.

"Ruby, calm down and tell us what's going on." Jaune placed a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Who and where is your partner? Also...why did you fall from the sky in the first place?" There had been so much going on the past few minutes he had forgotten how weird it was at all for people to just dive-bomb out of the air.

"Giant Nevermore. Weiss. Still up there! Angry!" Ruby spoke in broken panic that Jaune couldn't hope to decipher so he turned to his partner.

"Her partner is Weiss Schnee. Somehow, they got on a Giant Nevermore and Ruby here jumped off, leaving her dear partner behind on it. She's quite understandably very upset."

"Ah." When Blake put it like that it all made sense. Well, it really didn't but what did anymore? Their scrolls updated once again as they scanned the skies for the massive black bird and Jaune decided to check it quick.

'Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, and Ruby Rose. You've technically completed your fourth task but seeing as you need four members to continue onto the next one I'm assigning you a bonus task. Find Miss Schnee and save her from the clutches of the Giant Nevermore. When you're successful you'll be given your final task.'

"I swear this guy hates kids." Jaune looked to his two teammates for backup. Neither one of them was really paying much attention to him as they continued to scan for the Nevermore. He was going to join them when they heard a mighty 'Caw' from behind where they were looking. They all spun around to see their target descending right for them. Rather, it was likely coming for Ruby.

"You must have really ticked it off." Jaune grumbled as it got closer and closer. He turned to Blake. She had pretty good vision. "Can you see Weiss?"

"Yeah, I see her." Blake nodded and Ruby let out a sigh of relief. "And she does not look happy." This caused Ruby to cringe in fright. Blake's eyes narrowed and she frowned. "I think it's preparing for something…"

"Like what?" Jaune wasn't exactly sure what the Nevermore could do to them without coming down to the ground. If they were going to have a chance to rescue Weiss they were going to have to wait for that. He looked back up at it just in time to see it launch a barrage of feathers at them. Feathers that looked really, and he meant really, deadly.

"I'm guessing it was preparing to do that." Ruby pointed out not-so-helpfully.

"There's too many of them, we'll never be able to dodge! We gotta get clear!" Blake shouted as she ran up to Jaune and Ruby and grabbed them by the elbows.

"We'll never get clear in time." Jaune shook his head and searched the clearing for the one thing he knew could save them.

"Then what do we do? We don't exactly have a way of blocking them." Ruby took a nervous step towards Jaune.

Finally, his eyes spotted it. "We need to get to my shield! I can protect us!" Without waiting for a response he began running for it. Blake, who was still holding his elbow was yanked along and in turn so was Ruby.

"Jaune! Are you sure about this?" Ruby didn't sound very convinced.

Surprisingly it was Blake who responded. "That thing took a strike from a Death Stalker without even denting! It'll work!"

"That's if we make it!" Jaune kept glancing anxiously between his shield and the oncoming feathers.

They were way too close now.

If they made it at all it wasn't going to be by much.

He put on a final, adrenaline-filled burst of speed and reached for his shield.

The feathers were just above them. "Get beneath me!"

A mere five meters until impact and they would all be punctured to death.

He picked it up and brought it above his head. Blake and Ruby huddled as closely to him as they could and the sound of feathers spearing the ground reached their ears. With several jarring thuds he felt them hit and ricochet off his great grandfather's shield. After several seconds the attack ended and the only sound that could be heard was their erratic breathing.

"D-did we make it?" Ruby peaked around Jaune's shoulder and he could only nod numbly in response. A miniature garden of black feathers taller than they were surrounded them. If one of those had hit them it would have skewered them completely through. In other words, they had almost died...again.

"That's the sixth time this day that I really thought I was going to bite the dust." Jaune's knees wobbled and he would have lost his balance if not for Blake and Ruby still clinging tightly to him.

"You're keeping count?" Ruby sounded surprised and that caught Jaune off guard. Wasn't it kind of common to count every time you thought you were going to die? It made living seem so much more worth it when you thought of all the horrible, violent deaths you had nearly been through...okay, maybe it wasn't all that normal. Or healthy.

"I don't think it's realized we survived yet." Blake brought them back on track as she finally stepped away from the protection of Jaune's shield to view the Nevermore. "It's flying rather awkwardly. I think it's trying to debunk its passenger."

"We gotta get up there and save her!" Ruby ran a couple paces away and knocked down some of the feathers as she tried to determine the best way to get back on to it.

"We need a way to bring it down to us." Jaune mumbled. He lowered his shield and raised a hand to his chin. "If we could just clip it's wings we could finish it off on the ground…" He trailed off as he thought of ways to do that. If they could just get one of them up there while the others distracted it, that person along with Weiss could each damage a wing enough for it to collapse.

"Looks like you've got a plan?" Blake pulled him out of his thoughts and he nodded.

"I'm going to hate this but can you get it's attention, Ruby? We need to get it as low to the ground as possible. I'll hop on it and together with Weiss will bring it down. Once it's on the ground it'll be up to you two to finish it off." He expected them to rebuke his plan on the spot so was utterly shocked when he got the reactions that he did.

"Aye, aye." Ruby saluted and she pulled out her weapon which was still in gun form.

"You're going to need your sword if you're going to do anything." Blake pulled it out from behind her back and handed it to him.

He stared at it in disbelief. It had been on the ground on the other side of the clearing last he had seen it. "When did you-"

"I've got quick reflexes."

Before he could ask further, Ruby began shooting and the Nevermore responded with an angry screech. It turned back to them and once again descended. "Welp, I've got its attention! Now how do you plan to get up there?" That was actually a great question. He hadn't exactly thought that far ahead. But he had already pitched the idea and they were running with it. He had to get onto it. There was no other option.

"I don't suppose your cloning ability could be used to give me a boost?" He looked to Blake hopefully and she gave him a nod. He sighed in relief and turned to see how close the Nevermore was. They had to time this just right. It had to be low enough for them to get to it but not so low it would launch another barrage at them.

"Climb on." Blake did the most peculiar thing he had seen her do yet and squatted down in front of him.

"Huh?"

"Get on my back. I'm going to get you up there." Did she mean like a piggy-back ride? He had just kind expected Blake to throw him or something with some clone assistance. This wasn't what he had in mind. "It's getting closer. If you don't hurry we're gonna have to wait for it to circle back around." Those words prompted him into action and with a huge blush on his face he climbed on her back. His chest rested behind her shoulders and his head peaked just over her right. His forelegs were gripped tightly by her arms and she stood up straight.

"I-I'm not too heavy, am I?"

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response." That was probably for the best. Normally, their roles were supposed to be reversed and she would be asking that question to which he would suavely tell her she was light as a feather.

This was just embarrassing.

"You guys might want to hurry! It's coming in hot!" Ruby continued to fire at it, keeping its attention on her.

"Ready?"

"Not really." Jaune was starting to feel sick as he looked at how high the Nevermore still was. What if he missed it? What if he fell off? He had survived one fall today and hadn't ever planned on having to do that same thing again.

Blake rolled her eyes at him. "Here we go." He didn't have the time to protest as she jumped in the air higher than should have been physically possible. He looked down to see she had kicked off a clone. When they reached the arc of her jump, they were miraculously propelled even higher by a seemly invisible force. In the place they had just been was another clone. She was creating clones and using them as stepping stones to ascend?

He let himself get caught up in amazement as she bounced them high above the treeline. It was once they were about double that length up that the novelty of the ability wore off and he realized they were suddenly very, very high. In fact, they were high enough to be even with the Nevermore. Ruby was a tiny speck on the ground.

"I've changed my mind! I'll fight it after it's grounded! You take it up here! Just get me down from here!" He clung to Blake for dear life and could have swore he heard her sigh but decided it was just the wind. It was pretty breezy up here after all.

"Sorry, Jaune. You're dealing with the Schnee Heiress." She grabbed him by the elbows now that they were high enough above the Nevermore. He didn't like this one bit. "Good luck." With the finesse of a pro wrestler she broke his hold on her and chucked him directly towards the giant Grimm.

"Blake!" He screamed like a girl as he entered freefall. He turned to see her using her clones to bring herself back towards the ground. Why couldn't his Aura let him do something like that? It didn't matter now anyways. He was on his own. He turned back to the Grimm fearfully and prepared himself for what he had to do.

The wind beat viciously at his eyes but it wasn't anything he hadn't already dealt with before. He'd gotten through this type of thing once and he could do it again. His target was much higher off the ground...and was a violent monster hell-bent on destroying humanity. Okay, he'd handled that before too. Now he just had to handle those two things together this time. Falling and fighting Grimm...great.

That was if he landed on it at all. He realized with fear that he wasn't getting nearly close enough to it. He had to find a way to slow down his fall so he would have enough time to make it closer. So he extended his arms and legs and let the wind grab him. It worked a little but not enough. He still wasn't going to make it! If he missed there was only the clearing beneath him too. He would die. Unless Blake caught him?

All these thoughts became irrelevant as he landed smack on what he could only call a platform. "What the heck?" He pushed down on it and found it felt as sturdy as glass but somehow managed to not hurt at all when he had hit it. It was a white circle with what looked like a snowflake filling out the middle.

"Jump you dunce!" That sounded like Weiss. He turned to see the Nevermore just starting to pass under him. He didn't need to be told twice and for the first time time that day willingly made the jump. He only fell half a dozen meters before landing on the back of the Nevermore, right next to Weiss. "What were they thinking when they sent you up here to help me?" She cried in appallment as she gave him the most disgusted look she was probably capable of.

"No need to thank me Snow Angel. I volunteered to save you myself." He gave her his most charming smile and felt one of his teeth give off a twinkle as it reflected the sunlight.

"My hero." She responded sarcastically. "I hope this means you at least have a plan to get us down?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." He paused for dramatic effect which she responded to by glaring at him. "We clip its wings."

Weiss continued to glare at him as she waited for him to continue. When it was obvious that he wouldn't she finally said something. "That's your big plan? You know the feathers of a Giant Nevermore are among the sturdiest defenses known to Grimm? Not just any blade can cut it. Myrtenaster might be able to if I use fire but that's only one wing. We'll spiral out of control if you can't hold up your end."

"You're just gonna have to trust me. They're waiting down there for us to ground it." He was beginning to have his doubts about this plan now too, but they were already here. The more they delayed the more danger they put Ruby and Blake in. For their sake he had to do this.

Weiss seemed to reach the same conclusion and sighed rather loudly. "Fine. If we die though I'm blaming you!" With that she began crawling her way towards the right wing. He made his way towards the left one. It took both of them only a couple seconds despite the force of the wind threatening to knock them off at any second. Once he was in position, right where the wingbone met the body, he turned to see if Weiss had made it too. She had.

They nodded at one another and pulled out their respective blades. He watched carefully as she raised the hilt of her sword above her head, the blade pointed down. He mimicked the action. Her sword began glowing red and she took the plunge, sinking it into the Giant Nevermore's flesh. It screamed out in pain so loudly Jaune had to fight the urge to cover his ears. Instead he followed suite and brought his sword down...only for it to be deflected off of the feathers.

That wasn't good.

"Uh oh." He grabbed onto the feathers for support and not a moment later they began to spiral out of control. The wing Weiss had cut bent back unnaturally and no longer supported the Nevermore properly and instead acted as a hindrance to its balance.

"I thought you said you had it!" Weiss screamed as she was nearly flung off her side. She had barely grabbed ahold in time. To make matters worse, they were careening wildly and there was no way she was going to make it to this side to repeat what she had done.

"Technically, I only told you to trust me!" He regretted shouting. All the twisting and flailing the avian-Grimm was doing was starting to cause his motion-sickness to act up.

"Do something you dunce or we're both going to die!" She was right. He fought back the urge to barf and looked at the spot he had failed to stab earlier and made another attempt. It came out weak and sloppy as he couldn't get a good angle with all the constant twisting and turning. For a second they flipped upside down and he saw they were getting uncomfortably close to the ground. They flipped back upright and he nearly lost his grip and got separated from it.

"Jaune!" Weiss sounded rather pleading now.

"Damn…" Jaune grit his teeth and focused on his blade. This thing had been through countless battles. It had killed humans and Grimm alike. Some much more fearsome than this thing. Yet in his hands it was just an old relic. A hand-me-down that he didn't even deserve. He actually felt kind of bad for it. Did it hate him for ending up in his incapable hands? What was he thinking? The sword couldn't feel anything, let alone think for itself. People could though, and he had people counting on him to do something right now.

As he continued to stare at the sword a blue glyph formed at the bottom of the hilt, right above where his hand held it. It looked like the one that had saved him from falling earlier only much smaller. He looked to Weiss to see her nodding at him. "Do it! That glyph will add the force to your strike that you need! Just please get us outta this situation!"

Jaune nodded and realigned himself once again, which was still really difficult. He brought the sword up and drove it down. At first he met the same resistance as before, but after a moment his sword seemed to push in on its own thanks to Weiss' glyph and he sliced into the tendon.

The Grimm lost control of this wing now too and it naturally straightened itself out as both wings flapped back at an unnatural angle. It was just in the nick of time as they felt it crash into the ground and slide across it for several hundred meters. Trees were bowled over in its wake, causing hunks of bark, leaves, and branches to rain down on top of the two aspiring students.

Once it did skid to a stop, Jaune found himself wondering if it was already dead only for it to let out a horrible screech again which told him it wasn't. He and Weiss quickly got to their feet but that turned out to be a poor decision as the Nevermore also chose this moment to stand up. They were flung from its back and onto the hard dirt trail it had left from its excursion across the earth. It turned around and glared angrily at them. It's wings hung limply at its sides. Unfortunately for the two of them, they could only groan in pain as they tried to recover from their tumble.

"Now, Blake!" Ruby yelled as she appeared to the right of the Nevermore's head. Blake appeared to the left. They swung their weapons simultaneously into its neck. Jaune watched in awe as they seemed to be suspended in midair as they attempted to cut through it. They screamed loudly in exertion as their weapons snapped through all at once. They met in the middle and their weapons clashed, popping the Nevermore's head clean off and sending it falling...right towards where Weiss and Jaune were.

"Ah man!" Jaune scrambled to his feet and dove for Weiss who was still lying on the ground. He barely reached her in time but managed to roll them both away from the severed head. It hit the ground with a loud thud, followed only a moment later by its body as it toppled over. He looked at the dead Grimm with wide-eyes as he gasped desperately for breath and gripped Weiss against him.

"Weiss…" Jaune poked the heiress that was laying unmoving on top of him. "...you okay?" His answer was an uppercut to the chin.

"Am I okay!?" She shrieked as she quickly scrambled off of him and got to her feet. "Do I look okay to you!?"

"I'd say you look fine." Blake answered as she landed nimbly next to her. "Rather chipper actually for having just been on a Nevermore for an extended period of time."

"Yeah...sorry again about that, Weiss." Ruby hid behind Blake's back and nervously waved at her partner.

Weiss clicked her teeth and attempted to glare at Ruby from around Blake. "At least he came up there and didn't abandon me. Unlike a certain partner of mine."

"I told you to jump! You could've caught yourself with your glyphs!" Ruby attempted to defend herself.

"And have put ourselves at the mercy of it's Raining Feathers? I think not!"

"Oh, so you knew it could do that..." Ruby deflated but immediately perked back up. "But it worked out in the end, right? I even found our teammates after I landed."

"More like you landed on your teammates." Blake recalled rather fondly the moment Jaune tried to catch her and only half-succeeded.

"I'm gonna be sick." Jaune interrupted their discussion as he finally managed to crawl to his hands and knees only to puke his breakfast all over the ground.

"Vomit-boy returns!"

"Shut it, Crater-face."

He managed to grumble that before he heaved and spilled more of the contents of his stomach.

"Huh, that's actually fairly clever...and accurate." Weiss seemed to appreciate the nickname Jaune had given Ruby. That made him a little happy.

Blake walked up to him and rubbed his back comfortingly. "You did good up there."

He responded with a derisive laugh and wiped his mouth clean. "Weiss is the one who did everything. I wouldn't have even landed on it if she hadn't caught me. Let alone it was thanks to her that I managed to cut its wing."

Blake opened her mouth to respond but Weiss beat her to it. "You did fine. I told you that Giant Nevermore feathers are tough. Even with my aide it was a miracle you managed to hold up your end." He wasn't sure that made him feel better.

"What she's trying to say is that without you up there, she wouldn't have been able to cut the other wing at all. Take some credit. It was your plan and in the end you helped see it through. Even if I did have to force you to go out there once we were in the air." Was that really alright though? Maybe it would have been better if Blake or Ruby had taken his spot. But no, he wouldn't have been able to aide in cutting it's head off. Was he just worthless no matter which end he was on?

He then heard the familiar ping as all four of their scrolls updated. He was starting to hate that noise. He didn't even bother pulling it out to read it. Not when he felt ready to puke again at any moment.

Blake pulled her scroll out and read it aloud for him. "Congratulations Jaune Arc, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, and Weiss Schnee. You have successfully formed a team and are ready to face your final task. Located in Forever Fall is an old, abandoned airbase. Make your way to it before sundown tomorrow. There will be an airship waiting for you there. Board it to be lifted back off to Beacon. If you do not get on it you will be left behind and needn't return to the Academy. Best of luck. Try not to antagonize anymore big Grimm."

"Great. No pressure at all there." He really did not like the idea of being left behind.

"The map to the base is included in the message." Blake flipped her scroll around so Jaune could see it. It looked quite far away. Getting to Forever Fall alone was going to take them until nightfall at best. Then it looked like they had to hike a full days worth just to reach the airbase.

"We'd better set out at once if we're to have any hope of making it in time." Weiss took point and set off.

"Wait for me, partner!" Ruby dashed after her, leaving a trail of rose petals behind.

"You fit to travel?" Blake gently helped Jaune get back to his feet.

"I'm still feeling a little sick, but I think I'm done throwing up." He hated that he had to look so uncool in front of her. He knew it shouldn't have mattered as she'd already seen him mess up plenty of times in the short amount of time they had been together, but this felt worse than all that.

"You have to quit beating yourself up in your head." She patted his shoulder and he shifted uncomfortably. Was he being that obvious about it? "The answer to the question you just thought is yes." That answered that.

"Sorry," Jaune rubbed the back of his head as he tried to find the words. "My dad always said just be confident. Chicks dig confidence. The more this test goes on though the more I feel like I don't actually belong here."

"You belong here, Jaune." Blake locked eyes with him and he could see she was being serious but that only made him feel more guilty. She didn't know about his transcripts.

"You guys coming?" Ruby called back to them.

"We need to go. We're on a schedule after all." Blake's gaze lingered on him a little longer than necessary before she nodded to the younger girl and jogged over.

"Right." Jaune mumbled as he followed after them.

He had to at least pass this final test first.

He could decide his future here after he made sure they all still had one.

* * *

 **AN:** I decided to change the description of the story. Last one felt a little too vague to me but I'm not sure this one is much better. At the very least I feel it gives people a little more accurate description on how this fic begins. Regardless of what the description is, if you've come this far then you must be here cause the story is turning out okay. Thanks again to everyone that has favorited/followed/reviewed this story. I really wasn't expecting such an overwhelming response for my first fic so that makes me really happy and definitely helps my motivation. I seriously didn't think I was going to devote as much time to writing as I do right now.

Next time...Jauney-boy has got issues and the only one that can help him is Blake! That is...if her own issues don't get in the way first!

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 4 - Secrets_

* * *

"Blake! A little help!" Jaune cried desperately for his partner's assistance as he sprinted fullforce through the Forever Fall forest. No less than four Beowulfs were hot on his tail.

"I'm a little busy here!" Blake had just barely dodged decapitation by her own Beowulf. She stabbed it in the gut and it dropped but when she turned around she had another two running at her. She wasn't going to be able to help.

"Weiss!? Ruby!?" He looked desperately for his other two teammates but was disheartened to see them completely surrounded by at least a dozen Beowulfs of their own. This was getting ridiculous. They had only entered into Forever Fall fifteen minutes ago. Fifteen minutes and it was already becoming almost impossible to make any progress without alerting at least one Grimm, let alone a group of them.

"You got this, Jaune!" Ruby called happily from within her entrapment and waved at him. She was freaking enjoying this.

"I really don't think I do!" Jaune ran around the side of a tree. It was just in time as a beowulf lunged passed where he had just been running. It likely would've taken a nice chunk out of his head had he still been there. That had been close. He thought this too soon as one of the others ripped right through the tree he had been hiding behind.

It lunged at him and he ducked down and held his shield above his head. It collided with it and slid right over him, crashing violently into the ground. He spun and stabbed it in the head. "Ha! I got one!" He attempted to pull his sword out but it remained wedged in its skull. "Oh come on!" He didn't have time to fight for it as the other two charged him at the same time. So with great reluctance he abandoned his sword to its skull and spun around, swinging his shield in a mad bash as he did. It got the Beowulf in the side of the head and stunned it.

The other attempted to take a bite of his arm and he shoved the shield directly into its mouth. "Why don't you chew on this!" He elbowed it on the top of it's mussel and forced it to bite down on the shield. The force of the blow shattered the Beowulf's teeth. It yelped and began to run away in fear. He turned to the other one and it backed off slightly. "You want some of this?!" He held his arms out and screamed as intimidatingly as he could at it. The fear in its eyes was palpable even to him and it took off running. "That's what I thought!" He couldn't believe it. He had made it back off.

"Jaune! Behind you!"

"Huh?" He turned around to see that the Beowulf hadn't run from him at all...rather it ran from the sight of an Alpha Beowulf. It had locked its eyes on Jaune and no other dared go for the prey of their Alpha. "Oh...hey there, big guy." Jaune took an awkward step backwards. "That wasn't your buddy's teeth I just broke, was it? Cause I mean, if it was I'm really sorry about that. Heat of the moment. He technically started it."

"Jaune! Don't talk to it! Run!"

"Right!" He took another step back and once again attempted to pull his sword out of the dead Beowulf's skull. "Well, I have to go. Lovely chatting with you-" He let out a high pitched scream as it roared and lunged at him.

His sword finally pulled loose and he held it in front of himself as the giant Grimm descended upon him.

* * *

"Jaune!" Blake hacked through two more Beowulfs just in time to see the Alpha tackle him to the ground. "No, no! Jaune!" She sprinted up to where the Beowulf laid on top of him, prepared to kill it and shove it off the moment she was in range. To her surprise it looked like the big Grimm wasn't moving. It wasn't eating Jaune or clawing his face off...in fact, it wasn't even breathing. "Jaune…?" She couldn't see her partner at all and feared the worst for him.

"I'm okay! I think?" Relief washed over her as she heard his voice. She immediately attempted to roll the Beowulf off but couldn't due to its massive size.

"I'll help!" Ruby jogged up and together they rolled it off, revealing a shivering Jaune and his sword in the Grimm's throat.

"Is it over?" He looked around skeptically for another one to come running at them but Ruby looked completely composed. Blake took this opportunity to peek around the forest too and saw that the rest were fleeing.

"I think it is." Blake knelt next to him and put a hand behind his back, lifting him to a sitting position. "Thanks to you killing the Alpha the rest ran scared. Good job." He blushed at her praise.

"It looked like dumb luck to me." Blake turned to glare at Weiss who was walking up to them, carefully avoiding any Grimm limbs on the ground as she did. "If he wasn't so incompetent, we probably wouldn't have had that much trouble with them to begin with."

"You don't need to say all that to him." Blake's hair bristled and her bow twitched as she got to her feet to glare at Weiss.

The heiress met her eyes pointedly. "I'm only saying the truth. Those Beowulfs should have been a synch for us all of us, but four of them had him running all over the place screaming. It's his fault we attracted as many as we did."

"Guys, let's not fight." Ruby darted between the two of them and held her hands up defensively.

"She's the one picking a fight." Blake pointed an accusatory finger at Weiss.

"No, she's right." All three of them turned to see Jaune looking down at the ground, dejectedly. "I lost my cool and nearly got us all killed. Sorry."

"Y-You don't know for sure it was your fault!" Ruby jumped in to defend him but her words sounded anything but helpful. "What I mean to say is...umm...look, it's getting late out. The sun will be setting soon so naturally the Grimm are going to be more active. Not to mention we're in Forever Fall. There are way more Grimm out here. It was probably inevitable that we fought that many. Right?" She looked to Blake for reassurance.

"She's right. You don't need to be so hard on yourself. You're the one that killed the Alpha in the end." Blake crouched back down and placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder, hoping the contact would reassure him. He didn't raise his head to look at her. He continued to stare blankly at the ground. She bit her lip as she tried to think of something else to say to him.

Weiss interrupted her train of thought. "Look, what's done is done. We need to get a view from overtop of the trees so we can determine our best course of action. Belladonna, you seem to have the best reflexes, think you can get up there?"

Blake clicked her teeth, stood up, and took a step away from Jaune. He didn't move. Something was seriously bothering him but she couldn't fathom what. She turned to Ruby and met her eyes. A silent conversation passed between them and she knew Ruby would keep an eye on Jaune and see if she could get him to say something while she checked their surroundings. "I'll be right back." She announced to them as she walked to the nearest tree and scaled it with ease. Once at the top she perched herself up there and scanned the orange horizon.

The sun was nearly setting on the first day of their initiation, just like Ruby had said earlier. They were also quite definitely in Forever Fall. The change had been quite dramatic. The green leaves and grass of the Emerald forest turned stark red the moment they entered Forever Fall. They still had a lot of ground to cover if they were going to have any chance of making it time. They had until about this time tomorrow or they were going to fail and be kicked out from Beacon.

She grimaced as she saw several of the red trees shake violently in the distance. Likely a pack of Grimm she figured. Odds of them running into any other students out this far were pretty slim. That is if they were even given the same destination. With a long sigh, she began descending the tree to where her teammates waited. With cat-like reflexes she made it to the ground in only a couple seconds.

"Well, what did you see?" Weiss glared at her with crossed arms and tapped her foot impatiently. Blake's eyes narrowed at the heiress. She had pretty much assumed command since their trek had begun and Blake was beginning to get sick of her bossy attitude and better-than-thou demeanor.

She turned to Ruby who only shook her head. The younger girl hadn't made any progress with Jaune, but he was at least standing now. She was going to worry about him again in a minute. For now she turned her attention back to Weiss. "The Grimm are becoming much more active. It's going to become almost impossible to move without running into them soon. We should probably find a place to set up camp before we lose the light."

"Hmm…" Weiss rubbed her chin as she pondered Blake's words. "I suppose you're right. We'll need our strength for tomorrow. No sense fighting those things when they're at their most dangerous. Did you see anything that could pose as shelter? Maybe a cliff-side with caves?"

Blake shook her head. "Nothing but forest around us as far as I could tell. I think I saw a path in the trees that could have been for a river though." She hated to admit it but she was a little relieved about that. The last time she had been in a cave it had nearly killed her. She wasn't exactly rearing to enter another one anytime soon.

"A river wouldn't be bad. At the very least it would cut off half of the direction we could be attacked from without warning." Weiss seemed to find this acceptable.

"Plus we can catch some fish! I'm starving!" Ruby's stomach growled in agreement with her own statement and Blake felt her own stomach groan in response. Food was definitely a promising thought. They had eaten almost nothing since they entered the forest except for a few berries they had found. Had she known they would be spending the night in the wild she would have prepared more supplies. This was all probably another part of the test though. Hunters had to be prepared for anything and it was entire possible they would find themselves in this situation out in the field one day: forced to fend for themselves with little to no supplies.

"It's settled then. Let's find this river. Which way, Belladonna?" Weiss once again resumed command but Blake only responded by gesturing in the direction they had to go. She had other things to worry about other than Weiss' self-appointed leadership. One of those being the aching of her stomach. The other...was obviously, her partner.

As they made their way towards the river she had time to ponder what it could be that was bothering him to the point that he would look so dejected. It couldn't really be because of Weiss' cruel words earlier? No, that couldn't be right. It may have been what reopened the wound but she felt his concerns ran far deeper than that. It had all really started after the Nevermore fight...maybe even before that when they fought Cardin and Russel. She wasn't sure anymore. All she knew was he was having serious self-esteem issues.

She considered asking him but couldn't bring herself to do it. What right did she have to push him into revealing himself to her? She wasn't capable of doing the same to him. He still hadn't asked about her night-vision and it was a great relief to her. She should extend the same courtesy to him...right? Then why? Why did it feel like she was only letting the problem grow by not confronting him about it? What did that say about her own secrets? It was a frustrating question only made worse by the fact that she had no answer.

They reached the river and she was no closer to an answer than when she started. If anything she was more confused. Great, stupid Jaune. His attitude was getting to her now too. She scowled at him as he cautiously approached the riverbank. It had quite the strong current and the rushing water created quite a bit of noise. That was both good and bad. On the one hand they should be able to openly converse without attracting any Grimm but on the same side of that coin they wouldn't be able to hear one approach them either.

"Don't fall in, you dunce!" Weiss called as Jaune got a little too close to the river. The red grass went right up to the edge and then seemed to cut away as if the river had gouged its way through the landscape. "What're you even doing that close?"

"Checking for fish! We're gonna have to get them up before the sun sets if we're gonna have any hope of eating tonight." Jaune's eyes squinted as he gazed at the sunset-dyed river. He was right. They didn't have long.

"Does anyone here actually know how to fish?" Weiss turned to her other two teammates. Ruby shook her head but Blake nodded in affirmation. She loved fishing. Rather, she loved the taste of fish.

"I do." Jaune also called in response.

"Excellent! You two catch us something to eat while Ruby and I will get a fire and some seats prepared for us!" Weiss clapped her hands as if it was the most wonderful idea she had yet. Blake wasn't so sure though. Fishing meant quietly sitting next to Jaune which inevitably meant talking. She wasn't sure she was ready to talk to him yet. She didn't know what to say.

"Everything okay between you two?" She had to fight every urge in her body to yelp in surprise. Ruby had stepped next to her and she hadn't even realized it. She must really be distracted by this if it was even effecting her awareness of her surroundings.

She considered lying to the younger girl but one look at her curious, silver eyes and Blake knew she couldn't do that. She couldn't tell her the whole truth either so she decided to at least go for half. "I just don't know what to do with him. I want to ask him about it but don't know how to without trampling on his feelings."

Her response caused Ruby to grin childishly at her but she couldn't imagine why. "I'm glad Jaune got a partner that cares so much about him. He's a good guy. Even if he doesn't realize it himself." She could say that again. "You don't have to ask him about anything at all. Just make him feel better by having him do stuff he's good at. He'll naturally talk about what's wrong on his own. I always did that with my big sis when she was feeling down. Works every time."

Blake titled her head as she considered Ruby's solution. It wasn't a bad idea but what exactly was Jaune good at? He had showed extraordinary talent under pressure but seemed to flounder helplessly otherwise at even the most mundane tasks. "What kind of things did you do to help your sister?"

"Normally I'd make her take me to the playground. Wasn't long before she starting beating the snot out of every other kid there." Ruby was already skipping away to help Weiss. Blake opened her mouth to call out to her but after a moment of deliberation she snapped it shut. This was something she and Jaune had to work out for themselves.

So with great reluctance she walked over to her partner. He sat crossed-legged on the ground and looked to be constructing something for them. It looked like a couple of spears that they would be using to skewer any fish that was unlucky enough to swim right by them. He had one complete and was sharpening the second with the tip of his sword. After several seconds he nodded in satisfaction at the spear and handed it to her with a small smile.

"Thanks." Blake accepted it and crouched down over the river. Jaune sat up and took a spot next to her, his own spear ready. To Blake's great delight there were a surprising amount of fish swimming through at the moment. Then again, maybe it wasn't too surprising. She doubted too many people came to this area to fish, what with it being infested with Grimm.

She took a stab and on her first try speared a fish dead in the center. She pulled it out and was absolutely thrilled to see salmon. Not as good as tuna but this would be just as delicious on her empty stomach.

"Got one!" Jaune yelled excitedly as he too skewered a fish of his own. This was going to be too easy for them at this rate. "We'll be able to catch enough for tomorrow like this." Blake couldn't help but smile as some life finally returned to her partner's eyes. Maybe this was all he needed? Ruby might have been on to something. It would only be a matter of time before Jaune opened up to her and told her whatever it was that had been troubling him.

And so she patiently waited.

They both caught another fish bringing them to four but Jaune didn't open his mouth to say anything.

He missed his next strike but she caught hers. More silence.

Their next tries ended up the opposite.

Fifteen minutes and about ten fish later.

The sun was nearly set and the last slivers of light were glistening off the river.

Still nothing from him.

Her patience was wearing thin and he didn't look ready to say a single damn thing! Ruby said it worked every time so why wasn't anything happening?

The sun sank below the horizon and they were cast into a light-purple darkness. Her eyes adjusted quickly enough. Jaune, not being able to see into the river anymore, stood up and stretched. "Well, I think that's it for me. We got a pretty good haul. Let's see what Weiss and Ruby got going."

"You're not going to tell me what's wrong?" She blurted out without thinking. She couldn't stand this anymore. She had never been in a situation like this before and the uncertainty of what to do had finally caused her to snap. How could he do this to her? The first person she felt she could trust in a long time and he was shutting her out and burying his emotions from her.

He turned and looked at her questioningly. "What're you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking out." She was sure to keep her voice down so as not to alert their other teammates and rose to her feet. She made eye-contact even though she knew he could barely see hers without the aide of the sun. "You've been in this funk for awhile and no matter what, I can't figure out why. What's going on with you?"

He averted his gaze and shuffled awkwardly to the side. He seemed to fumble for words as he scratched the back of his head nervously. Finally, he seemed to settle on some words but refused to look her in the eyes as he spoke. "It's nothing. I'll tell you about it after we pass tomorrow."

"It's anything but nothing." She snapped and felt her hair bristle slightly as she got more angry. "And if you don't snap out of whatever it is that's got you down there might be a chance we don't pass tomorrow. Just today took all of our combined skills to survive and if you're not giving it your best tomorrow we might just not pull through. You don't want to let someone die just because you're too scared to talk about what's bugging you, do you?"

"I'm telling you I don't want to talk about it!" Jaune finally looked back and Blake saw a small hint of anger in his eyes and could feel it in his voice. "You can't understand what I'm going through, so butt off!" Her eyes widened and she grit her teeth so hard she could actually hear them grinding together.

She can't understand? Who the hell did he think he was? She probably understood better than anyone what it was like to harbor a secret that was constantly weighing down on you. That affected every move you made. In fact, it was he that didn't understand one bit. She kept her secrets in check while he let his bring him down. "Fine." She growled at him and turned on her heel. "Solve your own damn problem. Just don't let it get me killed." She scooped up her share of the fish and walked over to where Weiss and Ruby waited.

"Don't worry! I won't!" Jaune called after her before she heard him do the same.

She approached the modest campfire that they had prepared for them. Four logs were positioned around it, creating makeshift benches for them to use. Ruby and Weiss sat on one end while two logs were positioned next to each other on the other end.

"About time." Weiss huffed as Blake passed by her and went to her log. "We've even prepared the sticks to cook over. I hope you caught enough."

"We caught plenty." Blake let her anger from her fight with Jaune carry into her response but she didn't feel the least bit bad about it. She was sick of it all. Sick of Weiss and her stupid self-appointed leadership, sick of Jaune and his issues, sick of this forest, sick of hiding in plain sight. She grabbed the sticks Weiss had mentioned and planted the fish above the fire to cook before shifting a log away from the other one. She couldn't sit next to him right now.

"What's her problem?" Weiss crossed her arms and glared at Jaune as he entered into the light cast from the fire. Ruby merely glanced nervously between the two of them.

"Beats me." Jaune began placing his own fish over the fire to cook. He didn't make eye-contact with anyone as he did. "Maybe you should ask her?" He finished and plopped down on his own log and proceeded to glare into the fire.

Weiss leaned to Ruby to whisper but Blake's enhanced hearing pick up what she said without any trouble. "Did I miss something or did they just have a fight?" Ruby could only shrug helplessly so Weiss turned her attention back to Blake. "If he did anything to sexually harass you-"

"Nothing like that happened!" The fact that she would even suggest that infuriated her more. "Just stay out of it!" Great, now she was sounding like Jaune.

"Well whatever it is that caused this you two need to settle it soon. Grimm feed on negative emotion and if they swarm this place tonight because of you two, I'm going to be very, very upset." Weiss snatched up her cooked fish and took an angry bite out of it. The others all grabbed their own fish and they began eating in silence.

Blake hated this. The fish which she loved so much tasted like nothing more than ash in her mouth and every time she swallowed it felt like a rock hit the bottom of her stomach, only adding to the dense weight she felt down there. This was a horrible, ugly feeling she had. One she was all too familiar with: regret.

She had come to regret a lot of things in life but she hadn't expected to come to Beacon and experience it on her second night here. Much more over some boy she had only met that morning. Why did she feel so strongly in regards to him? If she had to put it into words...it would be because he had become the symbol for the start of her new life. Without even realizing it she had transformed him into something more than what he was in her mind.

When she had first arrived here she hadn't expected to make bonds with anyone. But then they entered that cave together. In that cave, an all but blind human had charged to his death to save her life. He had thrown all caution to the wind and while it had been a brutal struggle, they had emerged alive and better for it. That cave had formed their bond.

Then she thought he had died. When Cardin's mace had enveloped him in an explosion and he had been blasted into a tree she had thought beyond a shadow of a doubt he was a goner. The feelings that brought out in her...had been enlightening, to say the least. She realized at that moment that she thought of Jaune as more than a partner, but as a friend.

Friend...that was a weird word. She didn't really have anyone she could call a friend before now. She had her mentor, but that had been different. The other members of her old organization...they were simply comrades with which she shared the same cause. None of them were friends. They weren't people who would throw their lives away to protect you. Maybe for the good of their race, but not for you as an individual. Was that what it was that made Jaune different to her? He was someone that respected the individual. He embodied what it was that she sought to become as a Huntress...even if his skills were severely lacking.

So it was no wonder she would be filled with regret. The symbol she had built in her head turned out to be nothing more than a normal, human boy; Filled with all the flaws of a normal, human boy.

"Alright. Seeing as everyone is done eating, we need to set up sleeping and watch arrangements." Weiss' words broke her from her deep reservoir. She was surprised to notice that she had in fact finished her fish already and the others were already wrapped up to be preserved for tomorrow.

"Arc." She addressed him first. "You'll be given the last watch. Also, try to sleep as far away from us girls as possible without putting yourself outside of this sanctuary. I don't want anything unscrupulous going on tonight. About fifteen meters away from any of us should be satisfactory." She then turned to Blake. "I think you should take first watch. After about two and a half hours choose either Ruby or myself to take over for you. We'll guard the middle of the night. Seeing as none of us are those lowly Faunus and don't have night-vision we'll have to be extra wary of any subtle noises. Anything at all should be treated as a threat."

"Wait, what?" Jaune perked up from his spot and looked at Weiss with wide-eyes. If it was possible, Blake felt her heart sink even lower.

"Use your ears, you dunce. You can't see out there, can you?"

"No, before that. About the Faunus." Yep, she was screwed. Her life her was over.

"Faunus. They have night vision. Don't you know anything?" He shifted a glance to Blake and she shrunk in her seat. He had found out! Was he gonna expose her right here, in front of Weiss and Ruby? She didn't doubt it after the fight they had just had. She had tried to expose his secret and in the end had her own thrown in his face. It was almost poetic justice for him now.

His gaze shifted slowly off of her and back to Weiss. He opened his mouth.

Here it came.

She knew hiding out here without anyone knowing was too good to be true. "Well, I'm pretty tired. I'm gonna head this way. Don't wanna make you too uncomfortable, Snow Angel." He winked at her and walked off into the darkness.

"Wh- H-How dare you!" Weiss sputtered after him and Ruby broke into a fit of laughter. Blake merely sat there in shock.

He hadn't told? Why? Was it possible he really didn't figure it out? No. He wasn't that dense. The reason he hadn't figured it out already was because he hadn't known about Faunus night-vision. Now though...he knew and yet he chose not to say anything. She stood up from her spot and took a step towards him. The others couldn't see it but he had already laid down in the darkness, using his hoodie as a pillow.

"Where do you think you're going? It's your watch." Weiss' words stopped her cold in her tracks. She couldn't talk to him now. Not with those two still awake. She had to wait. However, she was supposed to relieve one of them when her shift was over. She wouldn't have a chance to wake Jaune and talk to him. It might be awhile before she could ask him why. She clicked her teeth and walked away from the river and towards the forest. She scaled the first tree she could and perched herself in a branch that gave her a perfect view of the dark wilderness ahead of her.

Her ears twitched as they picked up all the sounds around them. She could hear some of the Grimm actively hunting but they weren't anywhere near them so they should be fine. She heard the two girls put out the fire and curl up next to one another for sleep. It wasn't likely going to be a comfortable sleep either. Still, they seemed to fall asleep rather quickly if the steady rhythm of their breathing was any indication. It had been an exhausting day after all and she couldn't blame them. Once it was her turn she was sure she would pass out almost immediately as well.

The sound of a twig snapping beneath her caused her to jump and instinctively reach for her blade. She looked down to see it was only Jaune who was looking around anxiously for her. He wasn't asleep! He took another couple steps but it would be impossible for him to find her where she was without assistance. This forest was much too dark and she was perched quite high. "Jaune!" She gave a hushed yell and his head snapped upwards and to her location.

He gave her a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head. "Is it...is it alright if I come up there with you? I'd like to talk."

She nodded before remembering he couldn't see. "I'd like to talk too."

A look of relief washed over his face and he began walking along the tree, trying to find the shortest branch for him to grab ahold of. "Whoa!" He tripped on a root and nearly fell but managed to maintain his balance. Finally, he found a branch but had to jump for it. It took him several tries but finally he managed to hoist himself up. Then, slowly but surely he made his way up the tree and closer to her. Every once in awhile she'd give him a minor direction and eventually he got to a branch just below hers and to the left.

While her branch jutted completely away from the river, his ran parallel to it. They both sat with their backs to the trunk of the tree. She let several full minutes go by before she wondered why he had come up at all if he wasn't going to talk to her. In that time, the clouds shifted away and the shattered moon cast a white light on the two of them. His head turned slightly and he looked up at her. She was already looking back at him. Their eyes made contact and she knew the time to talk was that moment.

"Why didn't you tell them?" It was eating at her and she had to know.

"Yeah...about that." Jaune lowered his eyes for a minute before bringing them up to meet her's again. "I owe you an apology." What was he talking about? He hadn't spilled her secret to them so why was he apologizing? "I said too much earlier when I told you that you couldn't possibly understand how I feel. As it turns out, I was the one that didn't understand you."

Oh yeah, there was that. She had already pushed that behind her with this latest fear of her being exposed on her mind. Their whole argument came crashing back and she felt overwhelmed by guilt. She had been the one trying to push him outside of his comfort zone and here he was apologizing to her. "We both said things we didn't mean."

Jaune shook his head. "No, you were completely in the right back there and I was acting out of line. I should have told you about what was bugging me. Maybe if I had you would've felt confident enough to trust me with your secret. My mom always said secrets don't make friends and man, she wasn't kidding. I can't believe we got into it like that back there."

Blake was taken aback by his statement. "You still consider me a friend? Even knowing what I am?" She leaned forward so she could see his full face. She wanted to see it as he responded.

"Of course I do. Faunus? Human? Things like that don't matter. What matters is what's on the inside. Kind of similar to what you said earlier. About having a good heart and all that. I'm surprised you still considered me a friend; What with the miserable way humans treat Faunus and all." She felt herself choke back tears at his words. She had just been thinking awful things about him not more than a few minutes ago and here he was making her feel like a complete fool. Yet, she couldn't be happier about it. She was ecstatic to be able to talk to him again. Talk to him freely too. There was no longer anything left for her to hide from him. Well, there was one thing. She was already partly exposed, might as well come out completely.

"I…" She struggled to say the next part but knew she had too. "I used to be a member of the White Fang." His gaze turned to one of shock but she shook her head, hoping to cut off his questions. He didn't say anything so she felt free to continue. "I left because they became too extreme for me. The world they wanted was no longer the one of equality that I wished for. So I left and hid my identity as a Faunus when entering this academy. I wanted to do some good in this world...as a person. Not with a label on me."

Jaune didn't respond immediately, instead he only stared. Not once had they broken eye contact. She wondered if he hated her for half-a-second before dismissing the idea as ludicrous. She knew him better than that. "What kinda Faunus are you? I've never noticed any animal features on you so they must be pretty well hidden."

The question got a weak smile from her and she patted her bow. "I have cat ears under my bow. I may let you see them some day. Please don't ask me for awhile though. I...don't think I'm ready to take it off yet. I know this is a lot to ask but can I please have you keep my secret for me?" She eyed him fearfully for his response and he let out a tired sigh.

"How about an exchange?" She rose an eyebrow at him, unsure of what he meant. "I still haven't told you what's bothering me, remember?" That was true. It hardly seemed like a fair exchange though. Whatever was causing his inferiority complex couldn't possibly compete with what had just been revealed about her. She used to be in a criminal organization for crying out loud. But what choice did she have? The least she could do was hear him out.

"Okay. You can tell me. No matter what it is." She nodded her head and shifted herself on the branch. Her butt was starting to go numb from the hard bark.

Jaune opened his mouth to tell her but let out what sounded like a choked laugh. "Man, this is hard. I can't believe you just did this."

"Jaune..."

"Right, sorry." He let out a deep sigh. "I don't belong here at Beacon."

She waited for him to continue. He didn't.

That was it? That was his big secret?

"Jaune, you said that already. I told you that you're fine. You need to quit beating yourself up-"

"No, you don't understand. I actually don't belong here. I faked my transcripts. I got in by forgery." Oh.

Ooooooh.

That was actually...much more game-changing than she had expected. Suddenly his exchange held quite a bit more weight to it. While her secret would certainly draw unnecessary attention to herself, his would outright get him kicked out altogether. "That's...I'm not even sure what to say." She admitted as her brain tried to catch up. Maybe she was overcomplicating things? She didn't have to say anything or even think about it and he would keep her secret safe. That was the deal he had proposed. The results would be much worse for him if they were both exposed so she had no reason to decline. She hoped it wouldn't come to that as friends though. "Okay. You're on. I won't tell anyone provided you keep up your end."

Jaune gave her a small smile and nodded before stretching his limbs and yawning. "You might not have to worry long about me, anyways." She tilted her head at his statement. "I think once we pass this test I'm going to resign from Beacon."

"What?! Why?" She couldn't believe this. He had done so much to get in here. He had risked death numerous times and was just going to throw it all away? For what? A safe, cushy, life?

"I don't know what I was thinking." He shook his head sadly. "I wanted to help people. Who knew you had to be strong to do that? I'm not talented like the three of you. I don't have a suited-up weapon or some crazy semblance. I'm just an ordinary guy with an ordinary sword and shield. It's a miracle I haven't gotten you guys killed just for being with me. That's why I'm going to help you pass and then I'm gonna bow out. Make way for the real heroes."

"Jaune." She couldn't believe what she heard him say. "You're anything but ordinary." She couldn't stress this enough. "Do you know the number of amazing things you accomplished today? What's more, you accomplished those things without any kind of proper training at all! You didn't even have an aura for our first couple encounters!" She had to calm down. If she started yelling she risked waking up their sleeping teammates.

"Everything that happened was all you guys." She couldn't believe he seriously meant that.

"You held off half a King Taijitu long enough for me to defeat the other. You blocked the strike of a Deathstalker. A Deathstalker, Jaune! You blocked it with only the light of it's stinger to go off of in an environment that left you blind. Then, while still protecting me, you managed to kill it. Then you managed to half-carry me out of that cave as it collapsed around us. Even after you got hit by a rock in the head you kept going. Still no aura by the way. Do I even need to mention the Ursa? You took a head-on attack from that jerk-that-we-saved's mace. That explosion would've killed someone with a lesser Aura. Yours healed you enough for you to beat him down, without a weapon. It was your plan that we went with to defeat the Nevermore and you tackled Weiss out of the way when its head nearly crushed her. You killed an Alpha Beowulf in one strike. You're an incredible person." By the time she was done she was panting for breath.

Jaune's mouth hung agape at her tirade. He tried to formulate words of protest but seemed to be having trouble doing so. Finally, his mouth seemed to start working again. "Most of that was just because you guys helped-"

"That's what teammates do, Jaune. They help each other. We all did our part. That's why Hunters and Huntresses work together in teams. No one is perfect on their own. We need one another to rely on. Even an introvert like me knows that." She grinned coyly at him. "If it'll make you feel better about staying though, I'll start training you after we start classes. Getting you in better shape certainly wouldn't hurt our chances."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Jaune waved his arms frantically in front of himself. "You're saying you want me to stay? Even knowing that I shouldn't have been let in at all? Even though you know that the people who know your secret is back down to zero when I'm gone?"

She stood on her branch and jumped down to his. He yelped in surprise but she paid it no mind as she crouched in front of him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I told you, Jaune. You're my friend. The last thing I want is for you to leave. I want you to stay at Beacon together with me."

A couple tears slid down Jaune's face as he stared at her in disbelief. It took him several seconds before he was able to respond. Slowly, he reached out and grabbed the hand that rested on his shoulder. His much bigger hand completely enveloped her smaller one. "I still don't feel like I deserve a partner as good as you, or teammates as amazing as Ruby or Weiss..." She frowned at him and thought about berating him some more, but he continued on. "...however, if you're willing to go that far to make me to stay then I have no choice but to take you up on your offer. I'll do whatever it takes to become the type of guy that deserves to stand at all your sides."

Blake could only give him a small smile in response. It wasn't much, but it was something. His confidence issues were clearly rooted quite deep. Still, as long as he stayed at Beacon, she could be there to help him. That was enough for now.

She turned back to the forest in front of them and sat down on the branch, letting her legs dangle in the air. Jaune mimicked the action and sat next to her so their arms and shoulders were touching. She didn't mind the proximity one bit.

She was just happy to have her friend back.

* * *

 **AN:** This chapter was so tricky for me that I wrote it twice. The first one I wrote entirely from Jaune's perspective. The second one (The one I went with) as you can see, was written from Blake's. The end differences between both versions was...enlightening, to say the least. It was really odd, when I wrote it from Blake's perspective, the whole conversation took a very different (and I felt much more natural) order. I guess I'll let you decide if you felt it all flowed well. It was my first chapter without a battle for a climax so I'm fairly interested in if it held up to the others for you.

Next time, the team makes it to their destination but a threat unlike anything they've ever faced stands before them. With time running out, Jaune makes good on his word to ensure the others pass...even if it means he won't.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 5 - Overtime_

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Blake crept silently ahead of the rest of the group. Forever Fall was teeming with Grimm and it was getting harder and harder for them to transverse any ground without getting caught by a group of them. Their second day had been going for quite some time now and if she had to guess she would say they had three hours tops until they needed to be to this airship that was supposed to take them home. It was something that was totally feasible...if they could manage to quit fighting Grimm for awhile.

Fortunately, she couldn't make out any in the red forest ahead of them. She turned around and waved the group forward. Weiss, Ruby, and Jaune all appeared from around behind trees they had been using as cover and jogged to her. Weiss and Ruby continued past but Jaune paused by her side and gave her a silent thumbs-up with a goofy smile.

She returned the smile and gently touched his forearm before they continued after their two teammates. She noticed Ruby give them a curious glance backwards as they continued on. She had every right to be questioning them. The last she had seen before going to bed the two of them hadn't been on talking terms. Now, the two of them seemed closer than ever.

Sharing their darkest secrets probably had something to do with it.

For that reason, they couldn't let Ruby or Weiss know what had really transpired between them the night before. She still wasn't sure what they would say when asked, but she would worry about things like that after they passed. For now, all her attention had to be devoted to the task at hand. So for the next fifteen minutes they crept forward in silence.

"Does it seem strangely quiet to anyone else?" It was Ruby that broke the silence that had claimed their group. They had been going by the unspoken rule of not saying anything for fear of alerting Grimm to their location but Ruby had a point. It was really quiet. Rather...it was downright silent. There wasn't a single breathing thing moving around them at all. Not birds in the sky, nor squirrels and other rodents bustling along the ground. She couldn't even hear the hum of insects that were an almost annoyingly constant presence.

"This isn't natural." Weiss seemed to agree with what Blake was thinking. The most disturbing part of all was that there weren't any Grimm. If there was something that even scared them away from the area...then they were in more than just a little bit of trouble.

"Does anyone else feel like we just entered the calm before the storm?" Leave it to Jaune to put it with as little delicacy as possible.

"Whatever it is, I don't like it one bit. We should make haste." Weiss skipped ahead before she broke into a light jog. Blake hated to admit it but for once she was in agreement with the Heiress.

"Come on, Jaune. We're getting out of here." She grabbed his wrist and took off running after her. A trail of rose petals told her that Ruby had dashed forward as well.

"What do you think it could be?" Jaune gasped for breath as she dragged him at a pace that was just almost too quick for him.

"I don't know and I don't want to know. We just need to get out of this red forest-" Her breath hitched as the trees broke away all at once and she was forced to skid to a stop before she ran smack into Weiss and Ruby. Together, the four of them stared in utter silence at the massive scenery that had opened up before them.

The lowering sun illuminated the landscape beautifully. Behind them was the edge of the forest which cut into the dense, red treeline they had just broken free from. Immediately ahead of them was a massive slope that slanted at a dangerous angle, leading them directly into the twisting wilderness hundreds of meters beneath them. Rolling rivers were visible for miles, only occasionally obstructed by pockets of orange and yellow trees. Where there weren't trees though there was lush, rich grass that looked so red it was almost as if it had been painted on by the deaths of hundreds of lives. However, none of this compared to the predominant feature of the landscape before them which were the dozens of twisting spires and flat mesas. Some of them appeared to extend several kilometers into the sky, as if they were attempting to stab at it. Two growing mountains to either side appeared to trap the peninsula in a gigantic fissure. Just beyond it all...was the endless blue sea.

"This is…" There were too many words Blake could use to describe it. This was land untouched by man, too far beyond their reach. It was beautiful and yet it was horrifying to look at. If she had to go with a description for it though, there was only one thing that properly came to mind. "...unlike anything I've ever seen."

Weiss snapped free from her stupor first and pulled out her scroll and began scanning her map. "The abandoned airbase is ahead of us...if I had to guess I would say it's on one of those big mesa. It's the perfect spot for them to attempt to establish a route out here."

"If it's so perfect why is it abandoned though?" Jaune brought up an excellent question. So much land was visible in front of them and yet Blake didn't spy a single Grimm. How could that be though? This far from civilization should be teeming with them. Why then did they have to abandon this airbase? Why didn't they attempt to cultivate this area? It didn't make sense.

"We can always ask them when we get there. We really need to keep moving though. I do not want to have to run back through that forest because we missed our flight." It was once again Weiss that egged the group forward and she began to slide down the slope that took them to the rolling landscape beneath them.

"This is something we would have never gotten to see if we hadn't decided to become Huntresses." Ruby took one last longing glance before she followed loyally after her partner.

"We're almost done. We can finally put this whole initiation behind us." Jaune grinned widely as he too started after them.

"Jaune, you need to listen to me." Blake took pace right by his side. "There is something very dangerous down there. No matter what happens, we need to stick together. Do you understand me?"

"Of course." Jaune nodded at her and continued to grin. He didn't look nearly as frightened about this as Blake felt he should be. "We've overcome so much already together. There isn't anything that the four of us can't beat together. I'm certain of it." For once, it was Jaune who was sprouting off lines of confidence. Not his fake bravado either; It was real, genuine confidence. Confidence in his teammate's and his own ability to handle whatever it was that came at them. Blake had to admit, it really suited him. His father might have been onto something when he told him that all a guy needed was confidence.

It took them nearly ten minutes just to reach the bottom of their first hill. Down here, the spires seemed much more imposing. It was impossible to see the tips of some of them as the clouds passed through them. The sound of the crashing rivers and roaring waterfalls were the only noise audible to them and the air...it smelled sickeningly sweet. Just what in the world was this place they had entered?

The blood-red grass was soft beneath their feet and felt comfortable even on their sore legs as they continued their trek. It was almost unbelievable that this place could be dangerous. They continued forward, every step causing them to forget their previous fear little, by little.

They arrived next to their first spire and Blake was immediately impressed with how thick it was. It was nearly one hundred times as dense as any tree. The twisting rock it was made of was covered in moss and roots, giving it an incredibly ancient feeling. More than that, it felt...sacred. Almost as if it was something not to be disturbed or touched by mankind.

"I'm tired…" Ruby groaned as they passed it and continued forward. There were several more in the distance in front of them, some of their bases impossible to see thanks to the numerous hills.

"What are you, a child?" Weiss chided as she glared at her. "We've got about an hour until sunset and we're still a ways off from the mesa I think we need to be to."

"She is only fifteen and this is a lot of up and down walking, Snow Angel. Cut her some slack." Jaune immediately stepped to Ruby's defense.

"You pick up her slack then! I'm trying to keep us from failing!" Weiss spun on her heel and stormed ahead. "And stop calling me that!"

"I'm sorry." Ruby looked downtrodden for having got Jaune yelled at.

"Hey, don't worry about it. She's just cranky from not getting her proper beauty sleep." Jaune jostled Ruby's hair, getting a giggle from her. He then crouched down in front of her and she looked taken aback. "Hop on. I'll carry you for awhile." With a deep blush on her face, Ruby obliged and got on his back. He wrapped his arms around her legs and began piggybacking her.

"Thanks." Blake's bow twitched as she heard Ruby quietly whisper into Jaune's ear. She wasn't sure what it was, but she felt a tinge of something as she watched the two of them. She quickly squashed the feeling and continued to follow after them.

It was only a few minutes before they ran into a problem. One of the rivers that they had seen cut across their path and it was running far too rapidly for them to simply cross without being swept away. To their left it went off a cliff and formed a waterfall. To their right was one of the pockets of trees they had seen earlier. It was a miniature forest in its own right now that they could see it up close.

"This is nothing." Weiss walked up to the edge of the river without fear and unhooked Myrtenaster from her belt. The dial at the end spun until was locked on the light blue and she stabbed at the river in front of her. In only an instant a huge hunk of it froze to solid ice, forming an easy path for them to cross. They wasted no time doing so for fear of the river ripping their makeshift bridge apart at any moment.

The sky was beginning to become dyed with oranges and purples as the sun got lower and lower to the horizon. Their pace naturally quickened as the urgency of the time was becoming blatantly more apparent to all of them.

"Do you think there's an elevator to the top?" Jaune asked the question that Blake could only hope the answer was a yes. The mesa they were searching for was now distinctly in their sights but to their dismay it stretched impossibly high up.

"My glyphs can get us up there easily enough. I won't fail just because there isn't something like an elevator." Weiss and everyone's eyes were glued to the side of the structure ahead of them. It was their one and only goal right now. They were so caught up in it that they failed to notice the danger that was approaching them until it was almost too late.

Naturally, it was Blake who felt it first. "Is the ground...shaking?" She wasn't sure if it was a trick of her tired legs which were shaking simply from the exertion she had put them through or if there was actually something causing the ground to quake.

The others took pause and seemed to consider her question for a moment. Jaune was the first to respond. "The ground is definitely shaking. It's getting stronger too." Ruby was beginning to jitter around in his hold.

"It's not an earthquake, is it?" Weiss looked the most concerned of them as she kept shifting her gaze from the ground to the mesa.

"Actually...I think it's that." Ruby pointed to their left, away from the setting sun, and they all followed with their eyes.

"That's no earthquake." Blake's breath hitched at the behemoth Grimm that was charging for them. It was still too far off to make out all the details, but from what she could tell it was not something they wanted to mess with.

"Should we run?" Jaune was already taking a few uneasy steps away from it. "We don't have much time before the sun sets after all."

"We should definitely run. Like now." Weiss' voice trembled with fear as she gazed at it.

"You don't have to tell me twice." Jaune didn't waste another second; He sprinted faster than Blake had ever seen him go before and that was with Ruby on his back too. She and Weiss were immediately on his tail.

"How did it even find us?" Ruby screamed as she was able to keep looking at it. The others didn't dare turn around to see it. "We would've seen something that big way before it saw us, wouldn't we?"

"Who knows? It's a Grimm! They have all kinds of unusual abilities, most of them good for hunting humans!" Blake's legs were on fire. They had been sore before but now she was putting every fiber of her being into using them to propel herself forward. Her lungs greedily sucked for air but they couldn't possibly get enough. The trembling was getting so bad now it was almost impossible for them to run straight. They still easily had three hundred meters until they made it to the Mesa but there was another forest pocket just twenty to their right.

"Guys! It's on us! Like right this second!" Ruby's eyes hadn't left it and she was reaching for her weapon and appeared to be preparing to kick off Jaune's back.

"Ruby! Distract it for just a second!" Weiss unhooked her rapier. Blake took this as a good sign to unsheath Gambol Shroud. Jaune's sword came out and his shield popped open. They were ready.

"I'm on it!" Ruby's weapon transformed into a scythe and she flipped backwards and away from Jaune. She fired off a round and it propelled her backwards and right towards the Grimm. As she did, all three of them spun around to face whatever it was behind them.

Blake...did not like their odds.

It had three different heads on its body. The one at the front was that of a lion. A big, black lion with the most evil red eyes she had ever seen. It's wild mane was dyed so black it looked like a deep abyss. The second head rode on it's back and was that of a goat. The horns looped around and were made of dark gray Grimm armor. Its front legs were lion paws while it's back were goat hooves. The final head was on its tail and was a snake that made the King Taijitu look small by comparison. The whole thing was big. Just one of it's feet was as tall as they were and the rest of it scaled hopelessly over their heads.

This didn't stop Ruby from swinging right at it's big face. Well, the first face she could. "Take this!" She cried as her scythe descended at it. It turned its head just slightly and she struck the lion's mane only to have her blow completely deflected. Blake could only sympathize as the younger girls eyes widened in shock and she flipped backwards and away from it.

"What the hell is that thing?" Jaune's knees were shaking as he stared up at the monstrosity before them.

"It's a Chimera-class Grimm." Weiss stabbed her sword into the ground and a path of ice spikes trailed towards the Chimera. It gave a mighty roar and swung it's paw. The ice shattered before it even made it to it. "It's an S-rank Grimm."

"What does that mean?"

"It means only the best of the best go after something like this." Blake answered Jaune's question before charging forward to land a strike of her own. In other words they were screwed unless they came up with a plan. Before that though they had to keep it confused by constantly charging at it independently. All three heads seemed to still be analyzing them. They only had a small window before it began attacking in earnest.

That small window appeared to be up as the lion head roared, the goat bleated, and the snake hissed. Blake skid to a halt but she was right in front of it. The lion's mane began shaking violently. It was horrifying looking. Like thousands of snakes were wiggling about. Then it came to life and began stretching out. Four spears made of the hair extended all at once; One for each of them.

Blake left behind a clone and dodged with just a second to spar. It had been incredibly quick. She turned to see Jaune had shielded himself while Weiss and Ruby were both protected by the former's glyph. "Blake! Behind you!" She turned to see the snake head lunging at her.

"Damn!" She dropped to the ground and it barely skirted over her head. It pulled back and poised itself to strike again. Meanwhile, she heard the goat inhale. She could only spare a brief glance before she had to dodge again. It spit a horrible green liquid from its mouth that flew right at Jaune.

He raised his shield to deflect it. "Dodge it you dunce!" Weiss and Ruby were holding off all four of the tendril-like spears that were made of the lion's mane.

Jaune froze up for just a second before rolling out of the way. The green spit hit the ground and immediately began to melt a hole into it. "Thanks, Snow Angel! I knew you cared!" He yelled before looking to see another acid-loogie flying at him. Weiss didn't have the time to respond as more pieces of the mane broke off and were beginning to overwhelm her and Ruby.

This was falling apart for them very quickly. They had been divided up by the heads and if they didn't do something they were going to be picked off one by one. They were going to have to do something and soon. The problem was that communicating with one another was almost impossible. She was putting all her effort into just surviving at the moment and the others were doing the same. If they tried looking out for each other it would only get themselves killed. She had to take control of her own fight if she was going to help someone else.

She dodged the snake once again and sliced at it with Gambol Shroud. Predictably it had no effect. She was going to need to get momentum to do any real damage to it but that thing was swinging around so quickly and fluidly that she couldn't even get a clean hit in, let alone a powerful one.

The snake pulled its head back and loomed over at her. This was another problem, a normal snake was restricted to the ground. This one dangled in the air, giving it a whole different range of ways to come at her. It let out a low, long hiss and once again made a jab for her. She left a clone and dodged to the right. It struck the ground, sending hunks of dirt and grass flying in every direction. She landed right next to it, this time determined to stab its piercing red eye.

"Blake!" Before she had the chance, Jaune tackled her out of the way. She looked to see the snake head pull back up and a wad of acid strike the ground she had just been standing on. Jaune had just saved her life.

"Thanks." They both scrambled to their feet and Jaune nodded in response to her. They stood side-by-side, watching now for both the snake and goat heads.

"Weiss and Ruby are gonna make a break for it here in a second. When they get here we're gonna go for the snake head first. Then the goat. We'll end it with the lion. It's the only strategy we got." He quickly filled her in on the plan the others had somehow formed while she was busy with her end.

"That sounds like the best option to me. We're no good split up like this. It should get easier with each blow we deal." Blake and Jaune split from one another just in time to dodge the snake. She left a clone that was hit by acid not a moment later.

"Jaune! Blake! Hang on!" Ruby and Weiss were coming in at high speeds and Blake knew it was time to put a plan in action if they had one.

"Weiss! Freeze it down!" Jaune called and the heiress reacted. The snake was frozen to the ground just below it's head, keeping it low to the ground. "Ruby! I'll give you a boost! Get above it! Blake get below! Do to it what you did to the Nevermore!"

"Right!"

"You got it!"

Ruby vanished in a blur of roses and appeared above Jaune. He already was crouched with his shield above his head. She fired her gun and was launched into the air. She arched herself above the snake just as Blake got beneath it. Weiss waved her rapier and two more glyphs appeared; One above Ruby and one below Blake. "Use them as a boost!" She commanded. More of the tendrils from the lions mane were about to strike her in the back but Jaune intercepted them with his shield, allowing her to focus.

"Do it!"

Ruby gave a yell as she kicked off her glyph and Blake decided to do the same. Their blades dug into its neck at the same time and just like they had done once before they popped its head clear off.

The other two heads of the Chimera gave very different cries of pain. The tail broke free from the ice and begun swinging around wildly. The mane retracted back to the lion's face and it began stamping the ground with its paws while bucking with its hooves. The ground shook horribly as it threw its tantrum and they all nearly toppled over.

"We need to get the goat now, right?" Blake wanted nothing more than to take a breather but time was running out very, very quickly. They had maybe fifteen minutes before the sun set and that was being generous. That was fifteen minutes to cut off two more heads of an S-rank Grimm, run three hundred meters to a mesa and then scale it to the top and board a ship.

Yeah, not good.

"What's the strategy for that?" Ruby turned to her partner and Jaune anxiously mimicked that look.

"We need to get up there, first. The base of its head is huge and those horns pose a major problem but not nearly as much as that disgusting spit of its so we'll have to pincer it from the sides. Arc and Belladonna should take one end while we take the other. As long as we can destroy its brain it should be easier than cutting its head off. Besides, it'll be more of a hindrance still attached to the body."

"Then let's go." Ruby cocked her scythe and a shell fell out of it.

"Wait, something's wrong!" Blake put her arm in front of her and they all took notice of the Chimera acting differently. It was still thrashing but the tail had quit flailing around like a broken cord and now shot backwards, ramrod straight. It started pulsing. At first it was slow but the time between each pulse got quicker until it was happening multiple times a second. A sick gushing sound reached their ears and the severed part of the tail began growing...until the head of the snake returned as if it hadn't been cut at all.

"Now that's just cheating…" Jaune's arms fell helplessly to his sides. Blake couldn't help but agree with him.

"Is it immortal?" Ruby wondered aloud.

"It can't be." Weiss shook her head. "It likely either has a central heart or all three heads operate independently. If the latter is the case we would have to cut them all off simultaneously to kill it."

"That's about as possible as locating the heart, assuming it only has one of those." Blake didn't want to admit it, but there was just no way they were going to kill this thing. It was S-rank for a reason and that put it out of their league. They were foolish to think they could have ever taken it on at all.

"I agree. We need to run." Weiss sheathed her sword as the Chimera still appeared to be reorienting itself.

"Run where? It's faster than us simply because of it's size." Jaune looked back towards the mesa but even Blake knew they would never make it.

"There's a forest behind us. Maybe we can lose it there?" They all looked at one another and nodded at Ruby's suggestion. It was much closer to them and if they had any chance at all of getting away it was going to be in there.

"Run and live. Finally you people speak my language." Jaune's shield retracted and he slid his sword away. A moment later and he was was on the run again. The rest joined him but it was only after a dozen meters that they heard (or rather felt) the Chimera give chase after them.

"Don't turn around!" Weiss screamed as she appeared to skate across the earth. "Just run right into the the trees! Once you've gotten in, if its not after you try to head north and make a break for the airbase!"

Blake didn't want to be the pessimistic one. Their plan was sound enough and really was the only viable thing at all at this point but there was one major problem. It had found them from leagues away for seemingly no reason. This thing was an excellent hunter. There wasn't getting away without someone drawing it off. That meant someone would have to be left behind. It was the unfortunate reality of the situation. Who would it be though? She had a sinking feeling in the bottom of her stomach that she knew who was going to volunteer for the role of a martyr; Even if he hadn't realized it yet.

They were ten meters to the forest and she could feel its breath on her back now.

Each step it took on its stampede threw her a little into the air.

It was seconds away from mauling them.

Five meters to the forest.

Its legs were visible to her left and right without even having to turn her head. If she looked up the lion's head would without a doubt be directly above her.

A final burst of speed and they crashed into the trees. The sound of them being uprooted and an angry roar told them that it wasn't about to give up just because it lost sight of them.

A whole tree trunk flew over her head and landed in front of her. Orange and yellow leaves were scattered in every direction. She paid it no mind and jumped clear over it. A bleat from the goat head told her that she was putting some distance on it but she also realized that her teammates' footsteps were scattered a distance away from her. They had been forced to separate in order to make it around the dense foliage and with a glance around she didn't immediately see any of them.

"North!" Weiss yelled a little to her right. The Chimera heard it too. Blake took off running in the sound of the voice but to her distress it sounded like the Chimera was running that way too. It was lumbering towards where her voice had just come from.

"Over here you stupid Grimm!" That voice behind her caused her heart to drop. It was without a doubt, Jaune's voice. The Chimera paused and changed directions. She could see its huge black mass moving even through all the trees. "That's right! Follow me!" His voice was getting farther away as he ran in the opposite direction they should be heading.

A crack of a branch behind her caused her to spin around to see Ruby tumble up to her.

"Jaune's calling it off for us to get away." Blake informed her. "We need to go help him." Ruby nodded enthusiastically. The Chimera was getting farther away but it was still easily visible due to its size.

"No, let him." Weiss appeared from a tree behind them.

"What?!" Blake heard Ruby's voice overlap with her own.

"Keep it down, don't let that dunce's sacrifice be for nothing." Blake instinctively reached for Gambol Shroud as she took a couple threatening steps towards the Heiress.

"How dare you call him that after you're ready to just allow him to throw away his life for us!" She reached her hand forward to grab Weiss by the neck but Ruby's timid hands grabbed her wrist, keeping her from completing the action.

"Please, don't fight! We need to go save Jaune!" She looked with pleading eyes at Weiss.

She only rolled her eyes at them and Blake clenched her fist. She almost broke her hand free from Ruby's grip so she could punch her. "Look, we won't get away at all if someone doesn't stay behind. I'm just being practical. We'll get to the airbase and inform them of what happened and they'll fly down and pick him up. They can't expect to leave him to the claws of an S-rank Grimm. We're not even students yet. We weren't trained for this."

Ruby faltered. "S-She might have a point."

"He won't last until we get back! One person can't possibly outrun that thing on their own! The amount of cover doesn't matter." Blake seethed and yanked her wrist free from Ruby's grasp. "I'm going after him."

"Do what you want. I'm getting to the airbase. Ruby, come on." Weiss turned and walked away but Ruby didn't move. She looked nervously at Blake and then back to Weiss.

"I-I'll stay too. I can't abandon Jaune. He was my first new friend." She began to pull out her weapon again but Blake placed a hand on her arm.

"Go with Weiss. I'll make sure to keep Jaune alive. I need someone I can trust to make sure that that airship comes for us. Commandeer it if you have to. We're counting on you."

Ruby hesitated for a moment before she nodded vigorously. She then dashed forward and embraced Blake in a hug. She blinked in surprise before gently returning it for a second. "Hurry and go." She whispered into her ear.

Ruby pulled away and seemed to be fighting back tears. "You both better be alive when I come back. I will without a doubt come back. Keep that stupid jerk alive."

"I will."

Ruby smiled through the tears that were now falling down her face. In a flurry of petals she was gone and after Weiss.

Blake looked up to the sky. The last rays of orange were settling in and the sky was almost completely purple. They were about out of time. Ruby and Weiss would barely make it if they were lucky. Jaune and her though...they were screwed.

She smiled bitterly.

* * *

So this was it, huh? She turned and ran after her one and only friend. At least if this was the end she would be facing it with him.

Jaune had to admit, he had better ideas. Then again, since he got ahold of those fake transcripts it seemed his life was a series of just bad ideas. This one probably took the cake though. Luring off an S-rank Grimm was without a doubt going to get him killed in short order.

He ducked behind a tree and peeked around for it. He had been able to outmaneuver it long enough for the sun to have gone down but now the pitch black Grimm was hard to see with it blending into the night sky. It was not hard to hear, however. Every lumbering step it took shook and the ground and it's massive body knocked trees over just by bumping into them. It roared in anger as it tried to find him.

He took a couple cautious steps backwards, very careful not to make much noise. The Chimera had incredibly good hearing and if even one head caught the tiniest noise it would be on him in seconds and he would be forced to make another mad scramble. The sound of something slithering through the brush made him lock up in fear.

The snake portion was gliding through the trees, peeking here and there for him and sniffing the air hoping to catch his scent. If he didn't move soon it was going to pick up his trail, but he had to fight every urge to bolt. Running recklessly was going to get him caught just as quickly.

Slowly but surely he creeped backwards and away from the Chimera. Maybe he was going to make it? But where would he go if he got away? The sun had set which meant the airship would have already departed. He was stranded out here on his own. Even if he survived this encounter it was only a matter of time before something else killed him. He had all of Forever Fall to hike through before he got to Vale and the city was quite further away than Beacon was. It would take him at least three days of just walking. He would be too exhausted to fight off a lone Beowulf let alone whatever else came for him. Maybe it would just be better to get it over with? That Chimera looked like it could swallow him in one bite. Surely that would be a quick, painless death.

No, no, no. He had survived way too much crap to just give up now. If and when he died he was going to die swinging the whole way. That was the least he could do for the ones he let get away. Man...he really missed them right about now. Beautiful, beautiful Weiss. She may have a sharp personality but she was exceptionally skilled. The way she had just taken command of the group had put him at ease and she was just so much fun to tease. Sweet, quirky Ruby. She was his first new friend at Beacon and already felt like a little sister to him.

Blake…

It almost made him cry to think he would never see her again. They had been through so much in just the two days they had spent together. Was it really only two days? It felt like he had known her for months. The constant threat of death combined with the exchange of their deepest secrets probably had something to do with that.

A twig snapped beneath his foot and the snake jerked its head over towards him. It hissed as its eyes locked on him and he could hear the thundering steppes of the main body as it came at him again.

"Just give me a break already." He sighed and turned to run. He only took a step though before he ran smack into someone.

"Blake?!" He blinked twice to confirm it was her. When she didn't vanish he knew she was real.

"Come on!" She grabbed his wrist and yanked him with her as she ran.

"What are you doing here? I stayed behind so you guys could get out of here!" Despite what he said he couldn't help but feel a little happy that she came back for him. It was hard for him to imagine anyone ever doing that for him (anyone not his family that is).

"I'm gonna kick your ass for deciding that on your own later! First we need to survive!" Blake sounded really, really angry. He had to admit, he would be pissed if she had done the same so he couldn't really fault her. He was quite afraid of that ass-kicking she promised though.

Wait, she just said after they survived just now. "Do you have a plan to get us outta this?"

"Ruby was going to come with me but I told her to take control of the airship if she had to! She's coming back for us so we just have to hold out!" That was reassuring to know. There was a slim chance he was still going to make it out after all. Like Blake said: They just had to hold out. That was going to be unfortunately tricky.

He heard the goat spit again and turned around to see a glob of acid flying directly at them. "Blake! We gotta dodge!" He wrapped his free arm around her waist and dove both of them to the right. They hit the ground just as the acid struck a tree they had been running towards. With a burning hiss, it ate through the trunk and the tree collapsed into the forest but it didn't end there; The acid set the trunk ablaze and the fire spread almost immediately as a crashing step from the Chimera sent the flames scattering in all directions. "Great, now we gotta outrun a Grimm and a wildfire."

He scrambled to his feet, pulling Blake up with him as he did. The fire was jumping from tree to tree, being spread by all the wind the Chimera made when it moved as it thrashed around while looking for them. Its red eyes squinted against the suddenly bright flames and obscure smoke. At the very least it was providing them some cover.

"We gotta keep moving, Jaune." Blake tugged at his wrist and he nodded. They turned to run and a flaming branch collapsed in front of them, barring their path. "This feels familiar." She smirked with mirth.

"Running for our lives while the world around us is attempting to collapse on our heads?" He just really hoped he didn't get hit in the head again. That rock had hurt but if something knocked him out and set him on fire then he would be done for.

"This way." She turned to their right and took off, pulling him along again. The Chimera roared and stomped after them, knocking over trees and sending flaming debris launching into other parts of the forest, only spreading the fire further. It had only started a second ago but thanks to the Grimm's efforts it seemed the whole area around them was ablaze. No matter where they went, burning branches surrounded them.

They both coughed and stumbled their way forward. The smoke was becoming thicker and the whole area was alight with an orange glow. Jaune's lungs desperately sought clean air and he was overwhelming hit by fatigue as it failed to collect any. Seriously, how was his body even still functioning? He couldn't help but recall the things he had put it through in just two days. Any other normal person would've died. Maybe this meant he was beyond normal? It relieved him to think random thoughts like that.

"We need to get out of this forest!" Blake doubled over and coughed hoarsely. "We'll suffocate from all this smoke."

"We don't even know what way out is." He attempted to squint into the distance but his eyes watered as the smoke obscured his vision. A foot of the Chimera crashed down right next to them, causing them to jump and sprint away. Trees were torn apart as more tendrils made from the lions mane skewered the area they had been occupying.

"It can't be far! The area of trees we ran into only covered about three hundred square meters at most." She switched her grip from his wrist and just wrapped an arm around his and leaned heavily against his body. She was gasping horribly for breath and he could only imagine he was too.

"You can give me all the fancy mathematics you want but that's not making this easier." He regretted saying that sentence as he inhaled a big puff of smoke. It sent him into a coughing fit that nearly halted their movement completely. He saw Blake worriedly scan for their exit. If they didn't find it in the next minute they were screwed. Not that leaving the forest was going to be much better. For all the trouble it was giving them it was making things much harder for the Chimera too. Once they ran out into the open they were going to have no choice but to engage it again and that hardly seemed like a good idea for two soot-covered, air-deprived teens.

"I think I see the exit! The trees thin out at least. If anything maybe we can escape this smoke." He nodded and they took off again. Their pace was a slow jog at best now. It was a miracle the Chimera didn't catch up to them but he could only imagine how smokey it was above the trees. That thing probably couldn't see at all. Let alone this fire was loud. Any noise they made was likely completely drowned out.

In a second, Jaune saw what Blake was talking about. It definitely looked like an out to him. With a small, hope-filled burst of speed they broke out of the burning forest...and nearly tumbled off a ledge.

"What the hell is this?" What kind of luck did they have? It wasn't an outright cliff they had stumbled into but rather, some kind of rocky slope that bent away and went off to dust-knows-where. It looked kind of like a giant dirt slide to him but there was no way for them to safely traverse down it. Then again, safety might have to be damned. With a burning forest and a Chimera being what was behind them, this was without a doubt the easy choice. He pulled out his sword and allowed his sheath to expand into a shield.

"What're you doing?" Blake turned to him and back to the slope in front of them. She also glanced behind them. The Chimera was running at them again. He could hear it.

"Ever been sledding?" He asked as he pulled her as close to him as he could and dropped his shield face down at his feet.

"What?!" He didn't respond. Instead he kicked his shield onto the slope and jumped after it. He landed on it on his butt and had Blake on his lap. The moment they had hit it they began accelerating at a rapid pace as they sledded down. Just as he hit his shield Chimera had broken free from the trees, sending some of them flying down after them. "Jaune! This is crazy!"

"I know!" He agreed as he leaned left and barely avoided one of the flaming trees as it landed directly in front of him. Immediately he had to shift right again to dodge another one. They were moving incredibly quickly now though and the bend was coming up. Flaming logs rolled after them from behind. Where the bend led, Jaune had no idea but it had to be better than getting smashed by burning logs.

"Can you turn this thing?" We're going to crash if you don't!" Blake was yelling directly in his ear, not that she had much choice. " And it's still chasing us!" After she said this, he could hear the thundering steps of the Chimera as it ran down the slope after them.

"Can't you give me some good news for once!" He held his sword so the blade was pointing at the ground. When they came to the bend he dug it into the ground and nearly felt his arm get ripped from his socket. Still, he held tight and spun them at a ninety degree angle. They made the turn and he pulled his sword out. They continued down the slope for a few seconds before a giant crashing sound told him the Chimera hadn't been so lucky and had run smack into the wall in front of it.

"I think it just caused an avalanche. There's boulders rolling after us now." She was still staring behind them, but she sounded much more calm now.

"Seriously, would it kill you to give me good news?"

The wind was blowing so hard into his eyes it was obscuring his vision. He couldn't tell if they were heading for another bend or if there were any obstacles in his path. Truthfully, they were careening at speeds far too high for him to make proper adjustments anymore anyways. To top it off they couldn't afford to slow down unless they wanted to get buried alive. Yeah, this was going great. Hey, let's go sledding. It'll be fine. He hated the him from thirty seconds ago right now.

"It looks like there's a cliff in front of us. We're gonna go over it." Was Blake broken? She once again said this with so much composure he wasn't even sure it was real. "The moon is out though so at least you'll be able to watch as we plummet to the ground."

"I know you tried presenting that as good news but seriously, that just depressed me more." As he said this he felt the ground beneath him vanish.

They had gone off the cliff and had entered freefall.

Again.

He was frickin spiraling through the air as he fell to his death again.

This was the third frickin time.

It didn't even frighten him like it did the first couple times, now it just made him mad that it seemed to keep happening.

He looked beneath them and grabbed his shield. Pale white sand that was illuminated by the broken moon's light was their destination. Just in front of them was the sea. It looked so peaceful and still. The moon reflected beautifully off its calm surface.

"I don't suppose your semblance is gonna be able to save us from going splat?" He turned to Blake and she nodded her head. "Good, good. Any time now would be awesome." They were starting to get really close to the surface and his stomach lurched at the idea of turning into a red blob on the ground.

He caught Blake rolling her eyes at him out of the corner of his but she did as requested and made a clone that they were able to kick off of. They hit the ground running. He looked up and saw the avalanche had been just behind them. The wave of dirt and boulders crashed into the ground and the impact shook the earth so violently that they were thrown off their feet and face first into the ground. It continued for a solid thirty seconds before finally trickling to a stop, leaving a massive mountain of debris behind them. Yeah, he was really glad he had not been hit by that.

He took in his surroundings. The moon illuminated everything quite nicely for him so he didn't need to rely on Blake's Faunus vision anymore. To their right was the sea. To the left an unscalable cliff. Behind them was the now finished avalanche. The path ahead of them was clear.

A moonlit beach stroll sounded like a nice, stress-free way to end the evening to him.

"At least we lost the Chimera."

He spoke too soon.

It landed directly in front of them. The snake hissed, the goat bleated, and the lion roared.

"Oh come on!" He had to re-evaluate their options.

In front of them was the Chimera.

To their right was the sea.

To their left an unscalable cliff.

Behind them was a mountain of debris.

They were screwed. That was it. They were done. Game over.

He broke into laughter as he dropped to his knees. His sword and shield hung limply at his sides. The Chimera made no move to lunge at them. Instead, it seemed content to lie in wait and stalk them at its leisure. It knew they were done just as much as they did.

"I guess this is it, huh." Blake sat down next to him and gave a sad smile. "Any regrets?"

"Ha, too many to count." He shook his head and smiled at her.

"Yeah, me too." Maybe it was because it was the end but they talked with no tension between them at all. It could also have been because they were just way too exhausted to care anymore. "I think the biggest thing I wanted to do was help fix the gap between Faunus and humans. I just wanted us to be seen as equals. Seems like I only ever made it worse."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I'd say you and I lived equally by one another. Even if it was only for two days. That's gotta count for something." She smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Man...if I had to say the thing I regretted the most…" He paused and thought about it.

There were just so many things. How could he possibly name one of them? What was it he thought when he was first falling yesterday? At the very beginning of all this. Oh yeah, it was that.

"...I really wanted to have my first kiss before I died. Guess that'll never happen."

Blake tilted her head at him and smiled coyly. "I can solve that for you."

"Huh?" Jaune blinked at her and his brain locked up in confusion. What was she talking about? "How-" He was cut off as something warm pressed up against his lips.

His frozen brain kicked into overdrive as he processed what was happening. Blake's words and then her proximity to him. Her eyes were closed and her face was up against his, which could only mean one thing;

She was...kissing him.

It lasted only a second before she pulled away but it felt like it had lasted far longer than that. Not just that, but it had been a magical experience. Her lips were so soft and warm. They tasted slightly of blood and sweat but even that didn't put a damper on it. He was on cloud nine right now.

As he thought these things he could only stare at her in shock and she blushed before turning her head away. "Don't get the wrong idea but seeing as we're going to die anyways I figured it wouldn't hurt to fulfill your last wish. I had no real attachment to who I gave my first kiss to anyways so you were better than anyone. Besides, it wasn't half bad." She smiled warmly as he continued to stare at her in shock. "Satisfied?"

That question finally forced him to get his mouth working.

"Not at all."

She looked taken aback, but he wasn't done yet.

"That was amazing!" He declared as he got to his feet. "I had no idea a kiss was like that! If I get to experience that again by living then I'm going to do whatever the hell it takes!" He glared at the Chimera and pointed his sword at it in a declaration of war. "You hear that you ugly monster? I'm going to live!"

"I'm honestly not sure if I should feel flattered or dumbfounded right now. Was it really that great for you?"

He didn't get a chance to respond as the Chimera finally decided to make its move. It wasn't one he expected though. Instead of charging at them it stood with its lion head leaned back and its mouth wide open. The goat head leaned forward and opened its mouth as well. Then the snake hung over both of them and opened its mouth wide too. At first it looked like nothing was happening but then...he could see a black orb forming at the spot where their mouths hung open. It began growing in size and soon was bigger than even the lion head.

"That...doesn't look good." Blake had yet to rise from her sitting position. "I'd hate to bring you down but I'm sensing a ton of dark energy coming from that thing. It'll likely wipe out whatever it touches."

"I don't care. I'm gonna make it outta this. We're both gonna make it outta this." He took a couple steps forward and positioned himself in front of her. He then raised his shield up.

"Jaune…" She clearly didn't share his sentiment. She had still given up. That was fine. He would show her that they could both survive. He just needed to be confident enough for both of them.

The orb quit growing and then began compacting as if it were squeezing in on itself. It got small enough to fit in its mouth...which might have been the point cause the lion ate it just a second after he thought that. All three mouths closed tight and the Chimera bloated unnaturally as the energy swelled up inside of it.

"Now I see." Blake whispered just as the lion opened its mouth. A bright orange beam fired directly at them. It was huge, taking up more space than either of them were capable of moving so there was no dodging to the side of it. He could only watch as the earth beneath it disintegrated at the touch and to top it off it was fast. It was going to be on them in a second.

He locked his mouth in grim determination and bent down so one knee was on the ground and hid behind shield. He checked behind him once more to make sure Blake was completely obstructed too. She could only stare at him with wide-eyed disbelief. He was really going to try to save them.

He turned back and the beam connected.

It struck his shield and he was pushed backwards against the sand and almost right into Blake.

Still, it held. He heard her gasp in surprise behind him as the beam of energy scattered around them on all sides but the part in front of his shield held firm. He could feel his hair that was just barely poking above it singe and saw the outer layer of his sleeves and pants start to smoke as they were just a little too close to the outside.

His grip on his shield weakened as the blast continued to assault him and he slid another couple centimeters backwards. He grit his teeth and held on for dear life. He then felt a pressure on his back and Blakes hands wrapped around and overlapped with his own, helping him hold up the shield. "You can do this, Jaune! I'm sorry I gave up. Just hold on and we'll make it! I don't know what we'll do after this but if it's together with you then I'm sure it'll work itself out. I just have this feeling that it will."

He grinned and redoubled his efforts. After what felt like an eternity, the blast subsided and they were thrown into relative darkness. It wasn't that the moonlight wasn't bright but compared to the light show that had just enveloped them it seemed dim in comparison. He took a quick check of the path of the beam.

The sand in front of them was completely gouged away right up to where they stood. The gouge continued past them on both sides and as he followed it backwards he saw that the mountain of rubble that had been left by the avalanche ceased to exist. The only thing thing that hadn't been effected was a small trail behind them that was about the width of his shield.

"What is that thing made of again?" Blake tapped it with her knuckle but pulled away quickly. It was scorching hot. A searing pain in Jaune's hands caused him to drop it and he realized that he had been so focused on keeping them alive that his hands were covered in burns and blisters from the heat that was radiating off the shield. It hurt like a bitch now that he was aware of it though and he had to fight back tears. "Jaune." Blake gently cuffed his hands and frowned in concern.

"I'm fine. We still gotta deal with that thing." He nodded to the Chimera which was staring silently at them. It likely couldn't believe that they were alive and was re-evaluating them as they spoke. Jaune attempted to pick up his sword but gasped in pain and dropped it before he even got it completely off the ground. He wasn't going to be able to fight like this.

"Don't worry about it, Jaune. I've got this." Blake got to her feet and took a couple steps forward.

"You can't fight it by yourself!" He hurriedly tried to grab his sword again but once again a stab of pain caused him to fail. He couldn't allow Blake to handle this on her own. She would die. Stupid hands. Work damnit.

"I didn't think you could stop that blast and you did. It's my turn now." Blake held Gambol Shroud in front of herself and prepared for combat.

The Chimera heads made their respective roars in response.

Then they heard something that sounded like a cannon go off. Off behind the Chimera was a girl who seemingly appeared out of thin air and was now flying directly at the giant Grimm. "Who the heck is that?" Blake only shook her head at Jaune's question. She appeared to be a student about their age and she was wielding what looked like a giant hammer.

The goat and snake turned to look at her but she was already upon them. "I hope you're hungry!" She yelled as she swung the hammer at the goat head. It smashed into the side of its face and a pink explosion bowled the whole Chimera over and onto its side. She flew backwards and landed nimbly on her feet.

"This girl is nuts!" He couldn't believe she had just charged in to take on the Chimera by herself. He quickly focused on his hands again, pumping all of the healing aura that he could into them. His reserves were low and he doubted he could fully heal them but if it was enough to wield his shield and sword he would be happy. He couldn't let her fight by herself.

"She's got backup." Blake noted a new boy clad in green as he jumped in and began engaging the snake before it was able to lunge at the girl. The main body was still struggling to get to its feet as several bullets rained down on it, followed by a crack of lightning. They turned up to see that girl who was on the cereal box along with...Weiss!

"She came back for us!" Jaune felt himself tear up. He had never been so happy to see someone in his life.

"We all did." Someone else spoke as she landed right behind them. Jaune turned to see it was Ruby's older sister, Yang.

"Blake! Jaune!" A moment later and Ruby landed next to her sister before lunging at the still sitting knight. She tackled into him and knocked him over. His focus on his aura was shattered as she wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug and wept into his chest armor. "I thought I was too late!" He could barely make out her words as she spoke into his body.

"We had almost given you guys up." Yang explained more clearly than Ruby was able. "We thought for sure that thing had killed you in either the fire or the avalanche. Then we saw it shoot a beam and realized we'd messed up. We almost just turned around before it could notice us but lo and behold, Captain Atlas and his shield here had pulled you guys through." She grinned as she crouched down next to Jaune and ruffled his hair. "Thanks a bunch for looking out for my kid sister. I owe you." She then stood up and nodded to Blake. "That goes to you too."

Blake inclined her head slightly but turned back to the Chimera. Jaune followed her gaze to see the other four still battling it. "We're not out of the woods yet. That thing isn't going down without a fight and both Jaune and I are about out of energy to lend much of a hand."

"Weiss already ran us through a plan of hers. I'll fill you in and you let me know if you two think you can contribute. I'm talking to you too, Ruby. Enough crying already. We got a Grimm to kill." Yang pulled her sister off of Jaune and he felt like he could breathe again. Man, she had a tight grip.

"Who's flying the airship?" He asked as he gasped for breath. He could see if hovering overhead now, a machine-gun poised at the Chimera and ready to take the shot if it got a clear view where it wouldn't hit any of them.

"Some General from the Atlas army that calls himself, Ironwood. Guess he's a personal friend of the headmaster or something." Yang held out her hand and Jaune took it, allowing himself to be hoisted to his feet. His hands still hurt like hell but he had a small part left to play still. So with great care he picked his sword and shield up and readied himself for battle.

"Jaune, you can sit this one out if you want." Blake eyed him up and down with concern but he shook her worry off. He knew he looked like hell but that Grimm was the last thing standing between him and a warm bed. He'd be damned if he didn't do something. So, he turned to Yang and nodded.

"What's the plan?"

General James Ironwood watched with great interest as the events unfolded in front of him. He had thought for sure that blond kid and girl with the bow were dead when the Chimera had unleashed its ultimate attack on them. Hunters and Huntresses of far greater skill had fallen to that ability before. He had just been about to turn the ship around, despite Ruby's cries of protest when Weiss had shouted that they were alive.

He had to double-take just to believe it. It should have been impossible, yet there they were: all in one piece no less. He suddenly double checked their names and memorized both of them: Jaune Arc and Blake Belladonna.

Before he could decide what to do next though, Nora Valkyrie had jumped out of the ship and launched herself right at the S-rank Grimm. He thought about rebuking her but then she knocked it over with one hit. Her partner, Lie Ren had taken off immediately after her and began engaging as well. Their combined skill was truly exceptional.

He took the ship down to provide them support when he heard Weiss Schnee give out orders for a plan she had formulated. Once the others were clear on the details they all descended, leaving him to wait and watch.

If they pulled this off...it would be unprecedented.

This area had been off limits for years thanks to the terror of the Chimera and its overwhelming power. Surely, they could have defeated it by now but the wasted resources and cost of lives were estimated to be far too high for the payout to be worth it. So they had let the beast have its land. Now though, this scheme might just pay off.

The other four were running to engage now and they all began circling the Chimera in an attempt to confuse it. All three heads howled at them at once and they tried to keep an eye on all eight of them as they ran about and got in position to enact Weiss Schnee's plan.

"Alright kids, show me what you got." Ironwood grinned widely as they all moved as one.

Weiss Schnee kicked the plan into action, swinging her rapier around as if she was weaving a spell. A blue glyph formed beneath the head of the snake and it was pulled down and slammed into the sand as if gravity had become far too heavy for it to support itself. Ruby Rose launched into the air and as she reached just over the glyph, it's dense-gravity effects took hold of her too. Instead of fighting it though, she allowed it to happen and slammed the blade of her scythe into the top of the snake's head, pinning it to the ground and temporarily killing it.

Ironwood knew it would revive though. Chimera's were tricky. If you didn't kill all three heads before one of them revived you would be caught in an endless loop. That was the ability that made them such a terrifying adversary.

Still, the others were already working away. Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Blake Belladonna were all firing dust rounds at the front of the lion's face. Jaune Arc simply stood on standby. It was apparent his weapon had no modification. A classic. Normally he would think of something like that as foolish and say it went against modernization...however, he couldn't deny the tenacity that shield of his held.

The remaining two Chimera heads gave angry cries and lunged for the group that was shooting at it. However, Ruby's scythe continued to pin it down and it stumbled and fell as the snake pulled it backwards and it lost its balance. The lion's face buried into the sand as its legs gave out.

The remaining six charged at it and ran up the side of its head. The goat hulked its head back and prepared to spit acid at them but Yang Xiao Long sprinted forward and punched it in the jaw, causing it to spit away from the rest of them. Jaune Arc and Blake Belladonna broke to the right while Lie Ren and Pyrrha Nikos took the left. Both groups sliced into goats horns and cut them off at the same time and then they grabbed the broken appendages and sprinted forward. The goat bleated in agony but before it could spit at them, Yang Xiao Long and Nora Valkyrie swung at it from either side. Their combined strength crushed its head and forced its brains to explode out the top.

Finally, Jaune Arc and Lie Ren positioned the sharp horns at the back of the lion's head so they were pointed directly above its brain stem. Blake Belladonna and Pyrrha Nikos jumped back and used their semblances to fly forward and strike the back of the horns. They dug into the flesh and almost immediately the Chimera fell forward and halted any and all movement. Ironwood sat and waited for a solid minute before confirming its death.

They had killed it.

All three heads of the Chimera were dead and it would never be capable of reviving again.

"Did you see all that, Oz?" He couldn't hide that massive grin that was on his face. "I told you this was a good idea. We've found them. The perfect candidates."

Broken static came through the other end before he could hear his long time friend's voice. "They did perform...exceptionally." The voice was monotone, almost unimpressed.

Ironwood frowned at the speaker. Ozpin had seen the same thing he just had, right? Even if it was through a monitor, the profoundness of it all should still have been noticeable. "Oz? What're you thinking?"

"For now, just bring them home. They've earned some rest." The static cut off as Ozpin hung up on him.

Ironwood clicked his teeth. He would talk to him later. For now though, he had a point. Those kids had to be exhausted.

He took the ship down to them.

Jaune stumbled off the Chimera and onto the sand. He couldn't believe it. They had all done it. They had survived. Just as he almost collapsed he felt Blake wrap an arm around him for support. "Good work, partner."

"You didn't do so bad yourself." He gave her a tired grin which she returned.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Why didn't we run into that thing when we were heading to the airship?" Yang waved her arms animatedly as she talked to her partner, Pyrrha.

She only shrugged awkwardly in response before turning and smiling at Jaune and Blake. "I guess this means all the spots on Team Jaune have been filled up?"

"Ha. I'd forgotten about that. Sorry to say, but yeah they have. You seem to have found a pretty awesome team for yourself though." He indicated to Nora, who was talking quite enthusiastically to a silent Ren. When the other boy took notice of Jaune's gaze he nodded to him and gave a small smile.

"Thank you. You're team seems quite capable themselves." This time Jaune shifted his gaze to Weiss and Ruby as they made their way over to the rest of them. He wasn't sure what to say to either of them, especially Weiss. Still, he had to say something.

"Stop right there." Weiss appeared to take notice and raised a hand to stop him. He could've sworn he heard Blake hiss quietly at her tone but decided not to comment, instead waiting for Weiss to continue. "I admit that I have been rather...harsh towards you since we've formed this team. That's simply because I wasn't sure of your skill sets and value to this team." Well, that stung a little. "However, you performed incredibly well to have survived that Chimera and its numerous abilities. Not to mention you held up your end of the plan without a hitch. What I'm trying to say is...sorry. You have some merits after all."

He couldn't help but smile at her little tirade and opened his mouth once more to respond but Weiss interrupted yet again. "Don't you dare ruin my impression of you by calling me Snow Angel." He clamped it shut.

"Look at that, we're all getting along like a big happy family!" Ruby skipped forward happily to help support Jaune from the other side. Did he look that ready to collapse that both of them felt the need to hold him up? Now that he thought about it, he did feel really tired.

"Looks like our ride is here." Whoever said that came out really quiet and his vision began to blur. Was he losing consciousness? He really didn't have a way to answer that as he was dragged to the airship and forced onto it. The hum of the engine lulled him further into darkness as it took off into the sky and hopefully back home.

His head hit Blake's shoulder and he let himself fade into oblivion.

* * *

 **AN:** Long Author's Notes for my longest chapter yet. Seriously, did not expect this chapter to turn out nearly this long. Yet it just kept growing on me and before long it was here. I suppose it is fitting though, being the climax of the Initiation arc and you guys are awesome and deserve a long chapter. Now, onto parts of the actual chapter.

I tried really hard for visual imagery this time around, as I feel its something I'm really weak at in terms of writing (I am here to improve as well after all, so why not take some risks?) so I hope that turned out alright for you guys. If you had trouble picturing the scenery they were transversing then I clearly have much to learn.

The Chimera...I'd come up with him and had been planning to use him since before I started this story (I came up with at least a dozen horrible plots before this story took root in my brain). I hope he appeared as menacing to you as I imagined him in my head. In some regards I think I made him a little too OP but this is a RWBY fanfic...and in RWBY I find over-the-top is usually the way to go. The beam attack that he used (as some of you probably realized) was based off of the Bijuu-dama (Tailed Beast Bomb) from Naruto. I don't plan to use many cross-over things in my story but if I do they'll appear about as minor as this one did.

Finally, had a pretty defining JaunexBlake moment this chapter for all you shippers. I was really torn on whether or not to do that cause it is really on the fringe of Blake's character (if not outright OOC) but in the end decided screw it, they think they're dead anyways, why not? Anyways, it hasn't really changed the dynamic between their current relationship as they both understand what it was, but at the very least it planted the seed for later developments so look forward to that in the future.

Next time, things slow down again as the two teams wait for Jaune to wake up.


	2. Beacon

**Auburn**

 _Chapter 6 - Infirmary_

* * *

Blake flipped the page of the book she was reading...attempting to read.

Sure, she could blame her lack of concentration on the two sisters that sat next to her, creating all kinds of racket as they played their card game. However, she knew the truth was actually how worried she was for her partner and friend, Jaune.

He laid unmoving on the bed in front of her. She had a chair pulled up to the side of it and sat protectively by his side. They had returned to Beacon Academy two days ago and he hadn't so much as twitched since he passed out on her shoulder on the airship. The doctors and nurses assured them all that he was fine, that it was just extreme aura-fatigue, but how could that have left him in this state? It didn't make any sense to Blake.

"You're staring at him again." Yang heckled her from where she and Ruby were playing their game. They had a small table set up in front of his bed.

Blake flushed red slightly and refocused her attention on her book. She hated how observant Ruby's older sister was. It was quite disconcerting to someone like herself. "I thought I saw him start to move." She lied smoothly enough but she doubted Yang bought it.

"Really!?" Ruby was a little more naive though. She was next to Blake in a heartbeat and was leaning over Jaune, inspecting his unmoving face. "Come on, Jaune. Come back to us already. We're all waiting on you." She smiled sadly down at him and grabbed his upper arm.

"You two are so cute, watching over him like that." Yang grinned wickedly at them both but Blake chose to ignore her this time. It seemed that's what Ruby did most of the time to her teasing too.

The door opened behind them and they all turned to see Pyrrha walk into the room, a tray of food in her hands. "How is he?" She asked as she brought the tray over to the table that Yang was still sitting at.

"Nothing new. It's pretty boring, actually." Yang responded as she stood and stretched.

"Well, I think it's great that you're all staying by his side until he wakes up. He'll really appreciate it, I'm sure." Pyrrha patted Yang on the shoulder and nodded at Ruby and Blake.

"I'm just keeping my sister company. Miss Untalkative over here isn't exactly the most outgoing person." Yang gestured at Blake who snapped her book shut so she could turn and glare at her.

"I'm sorry for my partner." Pyrrha immediately got between the two of them and bowed apologetically. "Her sense of humor just takes some getting used to is all."

Blake sighed and leaned back in her chair. She averted her gaze and it landed on Jaune's sleeping face. She could almost feel her expression soften just by looking at him. "It's fine. There is no need to apologize. Thank you for bringing us food. If not for you we likely wouldn't have the mind to go out and eat."

Ruby's stomach growled at her words and she blushed sheepishly. She dashed over to the food and grabbed a sandwich. Yang laughed at her sister's antics before turning back to Pyrrha. "What're Ren and Nora up to?"

"Ren is reading in the library. Nora is predictably with him but she's doing anything but reading. Weiss is with them." Blake's hair bristled at the mention of their last teammate. She didn't expect the heiress to be here every second of the day like her and Ruby but would it kill her to check on him from time to time? She hadn't stopped in once since he'd been admitted. It was thanks to him that she had even passed! How ungrateful could someone be?

"Has Professor Ozpin said anything about when we'll be attending classes?" Ruby asked between sandwiches.

"No, I haven't seen the Professor since he welcomed us back." Pyrrha shook her head and her hair swung lightly from side to side.

"Doesn't this seem weird to anyone else?" Yang asked as she looked at all of them. Blake had no idea what she was talking about. Ruby looked just as confused. Pyrrha though, she seemed to be thinking something similar.

"What are you referring to?" Blake decided to just ask. She sat her book on Jaune's bed and gave the blonde her attention.

"Look, I can see why they wouldn't start your team on classes yet, what with Captain Atlas being in a mini-coma over here." Blake thought about reminding Yang that Jaune wasn't even from Atlas but decided against it. Apparently, it was some comic-book reference that she didn't understand. "But that doesn't explain why our team wouldn't have started classes." She gestured to herself and Pyrrha. "Even though our teams passed together, it doesn't make us linked or anything. We just happened to have the same meeting spots."

Blake tapped her knee as she thought about what Yang said. Maybe she was onto something? Why wouldn't they have been sent to start classes yet? They had started yesterday but they hadn't received any instructions about what classes they would be assigned or any sort of schedule. They had been given dorm rooms, told congratulations, and that they would receive further information when they were all conscious. Why though, did they need them all conscious? Surely they could attend classes without Jaune and get him caught up when he awoke.

"There's actually more." It was Pyrrha who spoke up now. Blake tilted her head at her curiously. "Blake, you said that you defeated Cardin Winchester and Russell Thrush in one of the duels during the Emerald Forest portion of the exam." Blake nodded. "Well, I saw both of them in between classes with another two boys who I assumed were their teammates."

"What?!" Blake almost jumped from her chair but wasn't sure what she was going to do once she was even standing. Was she going to report it? To whom? If they were attending classes that meant they had passed, right? How though? Weren't they disqualified when they had been defeated by them? All these questions were starting to confuse her.

"That's not all." Great, there was more Pyrrha had yet to say. "I talked to some of the others that had been launched into the forest with us. All of them were supposed to have gone to the same airbase or were defeated in a duel and extracted by a professor. Not a single other team made it even remotely as far as either of ours did, yet they are all still here as teams, attending classes no less."

"Does that mean we passed some kind of special test?" Ruby scratched her head as she tried to make sense of the information Pyrrha had just given them.

"It certainly looks that way. It sounds to me, that as long as you retrieved a relic with your partner, you were admitted to the school. What that means for our two teams though, that went far beyond that, only the headmaster can answer."

"Let me guess." Blake had an idea where this was going. "You can't get in touch with him?"

Pyrrha nodded her head. "It's like he's avoiding me. Or rather, anyone from our two teams."

"I guess that means we'll just have to wait for Jaune to wake up." Ruby sighed as they all looked at him again. He looked so peaceful, ignorant to everything that was going on in the outside world while he slept.

"You guys don't mind if I give him a little help waking up, right?" Yang cracked her knuckles and glared evilly at him. Blake and Pyrrha immediately moved to intercept her but Ruby got between them.

"She's joking! She's joking!" She waved her arms frantically as she tried to prevent a brawl from happening in the infirmary. "You are joking, right?" She turned around suspiciously and Blake could see a dangerous glint in her eye.

"Of course I'm joking. Seriously, lighten up guys." Yang put her feet up on the table and leaned the chair she was sitting on back until it was only standing on two legs. "No one is any fun." She muttered under her breath.

"I don't know how you grew up with her." Blake grumbled as she finally grabbed a sandwich of her own. If she waited much longer Ruby would have eaten them all. "And I feel bad for you, having her as a partner." She nodded to Pyrrha who gave a forced smile in return.

"You adjust to it quickly. I'm sure the two of you would have made an interesting pair, actually." Blake seriously had her doubts about that. "Well, I am going to go back to our dorm room for now. I hope Jaune gets better soon."

"Thanks again." Blake nodded to her as she turned and left the room. Yang and Ruby returned to their card game while she finished her sandwich and started her book again.

They continued this until sunset.

"We're both taking off, Blake." Ruby declared as her sister packed up the cards. "...Do you want me to say anything to Weiss?"

"No, that's okay." Blake shook her head and didn't look up from her book.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us in our room? You haven't even seen it yet." Ruby twiddle her fingers as she asked bashfully.

"I'll see it once Jaune wakes up." Blake finally looked away from her book to give Ruby a small smile. "I know you're worried about me too, but I'm fine. I know my limits, unlike this idiot." She gestured to Jaune.

Ruby gave a forced smile and nodded. "If you're sure…"

"Just give it a rest Rubes!" Yang draped an arm over her sister's shoulder. "Give her some quiet time with her boyfriend." She winked at Blake, who chose once again to ignore her.

"You have my scroll number. If he wakes up, call me." Ruby gave a final wave as she and her sister left. Blake returned the wave with a small one of her own before she turned back to her book.

It was just the two of them now.

The rest of the infirmary was empty despite being lined with beds. It was likely too early in the year for it to get much use yet.

She continued to read for another two hours before letting out a tired yawn. She checked her scroll and saw it was just past eleven at night. "Not going to wake up today either, huh?" She sighed as she closed her book. She stood from the chair and stepped closer to the bed. She ran a hand through Jaune's blond hair. She wasn't really sure why she did this. Her feelings for him...were getting more complicated the longer he slept. She already missed his goofball tendencies and awkward conversation. She may have only known him for half a week now but she felt closer to him than anyone else, and to suddenly not be able to talk to the person closest to you; To just have him pulled away while she could only watch helplessly as he lay there...was incredibly frustrating.

"Why did you push yourself so hard?" She didn't understand what Jaune had been thinking at all. He was absolutely terrified of even the weakest of Grimm...and yet, when someone was in danger he charged forward with no regard for his own safety at all. She understood wanting to help people, but his actions were usually borderline suicide. It had been these very actions though that had initially brought them close together. It was only after things slowed down that she realized how outrageous his actions truly were. She would confront him when he woke up, that was a promise. That was something friends did...right? She had a feeling she was taking it beyond that.

She yawned again and raised her hand to stifle her mouth. She could think about things like that later. She walked over to the next closest bed and crawled into it, like she had done the night before and the night before that. When Jaune awoke, she would be right by, ready to give him a piece of her mind. With this determined thought in mind, she slipped into sleep.

The sound of a door creaking open caused her bow to twitch and she was startled awake. She made no movement and instead remained perfectly still. Her ears were on high alert as they tried to ascertain who had just entered or left the room. Jaune was still on his bed and still didn't show any signs of moving. It was still very dark out and if Blake had to guess she would say she'd been asleep no more than three hours, putting it somewhere around two in the morning.

Who would be coming in at two in the morning though? Had someone been injured? Was it a faculty member just checking up on them? She was about to get her answer. Someone was quietly walking through the room towards them. Someone that was trying very hard to be as quiet as possible. Unfortunately for them, Blake had very good hearing.

She waited with baited anticipation until the person came into sight and when she did, Blake almost let out a gasp. She barely caught herself.

It was...Weiss Schnee.

Her white hair flowed freely down her back instead of just being in the usual sideways ponytail and she was in a light-blue nightgown. She shifted around nervously as she attempted to make sure no one was watching her. Her eyes lingered on Blake for half-a-second but seemed convinced that she was asleep. So she sat down on the chair next to Jaune that Blake had been using all day.

What the hell was she doing here? Blake felt anger well help inside her as she stared at the back of Weiss' head. She had no right to be here next to Jaune, now of all times. Not after all the cruel things she had said to him in the forest, nor how she had been prepared to abandon him to his death. She considered getting up and telling her off but decided against it. She should at least watch this play out. Lying in wait was more her style, anyways.

Weiss let out a frustrated sigh and her shoulder sagged slightly. Blake wished she could see her face, see what kind of expression she was making. "I'm not exactly sure what I came down here to say to you." Weiss started slowly. "I already apologized for my actions in Forever Fall so I definitely don't owe you an apology or anything. Still, hearing about you like this... and now seeing it, somehow I feel like it's my fault. I guess that's why I didn't come by earlier. I didn't want to see you still sleeping. I knew I would feel responsible for this. Yet here I am. Stupid guilt. You know I had never intended to abandon you? I know your partner doesn't trust me but I had every intention of bringing that airship back for you, even if I had to steal it. I'm not that heartless as to abandon a teammate, even if that teammate is a dunce like you."

She paused and seemed to consider what to say next.

"I don't know why I'm saying all this to you. It's probably because I know you can't hear me. I've always been horrible at expressing myself and I usually come off as...difficult." She shook her head and her long hair swung from side to side. "Anyways, I've said what I needed." She stood up and turned to walk away but paused. "...Thanks, for listening; Or something like that."

"Weiss?" The door creaked open and a very sleepy Ruby poked her head into the infirmary.

"R-Ruby!?" Weiss sputtered and quickly tried to make as much distance between herself and Jaune's bed as she possibly could. It wasn't much. "What are you doing here? It's two in the morning!"

"I heard you leave the room and followed after you." Blake heard the door shut and Ruby walk into the room. "I'm glad to see you came to see Jaune."

"I didn't come to see him!" Weiss huffed and crossed her arms while turning her head away.

"Oh come on!" The tiredness in Ruby's voice was gone and was replaced by a teasing tone. Definitely Yang's little sister. "It's okay to admit it! You're worried about him just like Blake and I are. You should just be more honest with yourself and have come to see him in the day."

"And subjugate myself to her scrupulous gaze, I think not!" Weiss gestured to Blake and she finally saw a chance to jump in.

"Just give it a rest already. I'm up." Blake sat up from her bed and swung her legs over the edge.

"S-Since when did you wake up?!" Weiss jumped in shock and Blake felt herself smirk.

"When Ruby walked in." She lied so as not to cause Weiss any undue embarrassment. That and she wasn't exactly sure of what to make of the confession she had just heard. It was so unlike the Weiss she knew...and yet, it seemed so very like her at the same time. She couldn't put it into words other than that.

"Hehehe!" Ruby skipped happily across the room and up to the two of them.

"I fail to see what you find so amusing." Weiss glared at their youngest teammate while Blake silently wondered the same thing.

"We're finally all together again. It's been a couple days since we've all been in the same room. I'm just happy for that is all." She looked them each in the eye and smiled brightly.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Touching." She replied dryly.

"I'm not even sure you can call this being all together again." Blake didn't want to dampen Ruby's spirits, but she couldn't help but feel it had to be said. "Jaune isn't exactly awake."

"He will be soon though." How was it that this girl could be so optimistic?

She opened her mouth to respond when a small groan caused her to snap it shut. Her eyes and head flung sideways to look at the source of the noise. Jaune's eyes fluttered and his arm fidgeted. His mouth parted and he let out another small noise. "...ke." It sounded like he was trying to say something.

He...was waking up!

* * *

Why was it that lately whenever Jaune felt himself coming into consciousness he had to wonder if he was dead or not? Probably had something to do with everything that had happened to him the last couple of days.

Not that he could remember most of it. Slowly but surely he was getting fragments of information. A girl with a black bow...her name was Blake? That sounded right. Somehow she felt really important to him. How could that be though? He would have only met her just yesterday, right? Now that he thought about it, what day was he in? He had no idea and for some reason his eyelids wouldn't respond, nor would anything else. It was like he was frozen.

He started to panic. Was he going to be like this forever? Was he destined to never move again? No, no. He couldn't have that. He had to get up! He had to make sure Blake was okay. Why again was checking on Blake important? His brain immediately racked itself for an answer. Perhaps she held the secret to freeing himself. Maybe it would at least explain why he couldn't move in the first place.

How had they even met? He searched his memories and the image of a King Taijitu lunging at him surfaced. That was right...he had run out to save her. They were…partners. No, more than just partners; They were friends. The moment that thought hit him it all came crashing back: The Deathstalker, her secret, the kiss (wait, they kissed? Oh yeah, Chimera), a plethora of other memories joined in and it caused his head to ache in pain.

It was all back now. The order of some of it was jumbled but he more or less remembered what had happened. He had formed a team with Weiss, Ruby, and Blake. Together with others they had survived against insurmountable odds...they had survived, right? The last thing he remembered was darkness as he clung to someone. Had he died out there? Great, now he was back to this. Not sure whether or not he was alive.

The sound of a voice cracked through his thoughts. Someone was...talking. Someone outside of his head. That was a good thing. If there were voices that meant he was somewhere with people. Who those people were was beyond him. He couldn't tell anything aside from the fact that it was a girl. A second voice entered. Another one he didn't recognize. What were they even saying? He felt like the words were familiar but for some reason he wasn't able to process them.

Then, a third voice spoke up. The first one gave a shout in what sounded like surprise, but he wasn't paying attention to that. The third voice...it was Blake's! She was here. He had to get her attention. He had to let her know he was alive. He really hoped he was alive.

With great effort he tried to say something. At first nothing happened. Then he heard it, his own voice cracked out. He almost regretted the action. It made him realize how dry his throat was. When was the last time he had had something to drink? It felt like it had been days. Still, he couldn't give up. He forced himself to feel the rest of his body. Slowly, his senses returned to him. His eyes fluttered open and he felt one of his hands clench and unclench at his command. It was all coming back to him.

"Jaune!" Two voices overlapped. He was finally able to comprehend what they were saying. He also now recognized the owner of the second voice. It was Ruby. His vision blurred as he finally opened his eyes completely. It wasn't...as bright as he expected. That was lucky. He probably wouldn't have been able to keep them open if there had been much more light. He tilted his head slightly and three figures came into view. Two of them were obviously Blake and Ruby...the third one, was a very pale figure. She was so white it almost hurt his eyes to look at her. That had to be Weiss. They were all here for him?

His eyes blurred again and he was afraid he was losing consciousness once more. It took him a second to realize that it was tears that were obstructing his vision. He was so happy to see the three of them again. The fact that they would all be here when he woke up too, nothing could have been better.

"Jaune? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" His tears appeared to be worrying poor Ruby so he cracked the biggest grin he could and nodded. Grinning hurt as it stretched his chapped lips out and he felt his neck crack as he nodded but the sigh of relief he got from Ruby was worth the trouble.

Silence claimed the room for a full minute as Jaune tried to find his voice. He didn't even know what he was going to say when he did find it. The three of them stared at him with a mixture of disbelief and relief (Weiss' was mostly just the former). Finally, he broke the silence between them. "Water?" His voice cracked and came out as nothing more than a hoarse whisper.

Ruby's eyes widened in shock. "I'll be right back!" She vanished, leaving floating rose petals in her place. Blake moved into the spot she had been occupying right next to him and grabbed his hand with both of hers. They felt nice and really warm. His were cold. She gave it a gentle squeeze which he returned.

"I-I'm..." Her voice was incredibly quiet and he noticed her send an embarrassed glance over to Weiss. She cleared her throat and locked her eyes with his, a heavy blush on her face. "I'm really glad you're okay...partner." Even though it was a whisper he could hear the restrained joy in her voice and it looked like she was fighting back tears. He truly didn't deserve the loyalty of such a great person like her.

"I'm back!" Ruby appeared as quickly as she had gone, this time holding a glass of water in front of his face.

"Thanks." He gasped as he lifted his hand and grabbed it. His grip was too weak and he nearly dropped it. Blake wrapped her hands once more around his just in time.

"I'll help you. Just take it slow." She helped lift the glass to his mouth and he greedily drank the whole glass in one go, letting a small portion of the water escape his lips and dribble down his chin as he did. His throat pulsed in pain with every gulp but he paid it no mind as the pleasant coolness settled over his whole mouth.

He let out a gasp when he finished and his grip on the glass strengthened. "You have no idea how much I needed that." His voice still sounded a little rough but at least he was able to talk now.

"We can only imagine. You slept for two full days." For the first time since he had awoken Weiss said something. However, more surprising than her speaking was what she said.

"T-Two days!?" He sputtered and frantically began searching for his scroll to check the date. It wasn't on him. In fact, he was in a hospital gown. For the first time he took in his surroundings and realized it looked like he was in some type of infirmary.

"Jaune." Blake placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Take it easy."

"Take it easy?" He turned back to her, not sure how she could be so calm. "How can I take it easy? How did I get here? Are you guys okay? What about the test? Didn't we fail?" Neither he nor Blake had ever made it to the airbase like they were supposed to.

"I believe I can answer all those for you." Everyone turned their heads to see Headmaster Ozpin stroll casually into the room. "You are in no danger, so feel free to do as partner suggested and relax. As for how you got here, my personal friend, James Ironwood, flew you here in an airship. Your teammates are all in excellent health, as are you by the looks of things. As for the test...I believe the final message simply said head to the airbase and get on a ship. It never said you had to actually get to the airbase. So I would say you passed with flying colors, given the circumstances."

Jaune opened and closed his mouth several times as he attempted to process the slew of answers that had just been fired at him.

"I take it by your silence that my answers were satisfactory and I can move on with my part now, yes?" He smirked and took a swig of the mug that was always present in his hand. "Now, tomorrow morning, you and the other team that boarded with you will head to the auditorium. We will give you your official team name and afterwards you will follow me to my office so James and I can answer any questions that you will have regarding the nature of your exam."

"Meaning you'll tell us why it was unnecessarily brutal this year?" Weiss asked rather icily. Jaune tilted his head at her question. What was she talking about? Weren't all the initiations like that? It only seemed natural for the most prestigious hunter-school in Vytal. He turned to Blake to see her also glaring suspiciously at the headmaster. Ruby appeared to be the only other one just as confused as him.

Ozpin, for his part, only smiled mirthfully. "Yes, that is exactly what I mean." He bowed lightly to them. "I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow. By the way, it's good to see that you pulled through, Mr. Arc." What was that supposed to mean? Did he almost die? Oh wait, yeah he did. Like a dozen times. Before he could respond the Headmaster had made his exit.

"Is he always that cryptic?" Jaune had thought his messages on the scrolls had been bad. Talking to him in person was even worse.

"He better be less cryptic tomorrow morning or he'll be answering to more than just us." Weiss grumbled as she made her way towards the door. "I'm going back to the room. I'll see you all tomorrow." She didn't wait for an answer before she slipped out.

"You better go after her." Blake nodded to Ruby. "Don't want her attempting to assassinate the Headmaster before we even officially start."

Ruby nodded but with a little less enthusiasm than normal. Before Jaune could even react she dashed over and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you for being okay." She whispered into his ear. She pulled back and was gone as quickly as she always was. He didn't even have a chance to ask her what she meant by that. Why...would she thank him? He didn't have the slightest hint of an answer so he turned to Blake.

She was seated in a chair and was smiling warmly at him. Behind that warm smile though was something else, although he couldn't be sure what. Her eyes seemed...concerned? Maybe even distraught? But why? Was she still worried about his health?

"I'm alright now, you know?" He gave her a nervous grin while lifting his arms and flexing them. His muscles were clearly out of practice because the movement caused him to realise how sore he still was. He had to fight every urge in his body to keep from grimacing. He was trying to reassure her, not make it worse.

Her smile slipped slightly and she shook her head. He tilted his head at her in confusion and lowered his arms. Several seconds of silence settled between them as he waited for her to talk. "It's...not your physical health I'm worried about." What the heck was that supposed to mean? "...Why did you lure that Chimera off from us?"

Ah. He had forgotten that she had promised to talk to him about this. At least she didn't seem mad anymore. So he gave her the biggest smile he could. "I told you the other night, I was going to do no matter what it takes to ensure that you guys passed. I'm a man of my word." He patted his chest proudly.

"Even if that promise is going to get you killed?" His smile dropped. Blake wasn't smiling anymore either. She looked very, very serious. She was also being very cryptic about this whole thing.

"What're you trying to ask me?"

"It wasn't a trick question, Jaune." There was no pause between his question and her response. "You called that Chimera off, knowing full well that you would die by doing that. Why then, would you do it anyways?"

"That's-" He didn't understand. What was she so confused about? Of course he would pull off the Chimera for them. "We're friends, Blake."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Were we friends in the cave?" Cave? Was she talking about the Deathstalker? "You by all rights should have died then too. You threw your life away for someone you had only just met an hour before that."

"Blake. If you've got something to say, just say it." Jaune was starting to get frustrated. Blake was being rather indirect, even for her.

Her hands reached forward and gripped one of his tightly. "I'm just...I need to know that you're not suicidal, Jaune!"

"What?!" He physically recoiled from the shock of her statement. "Why would you think that?"

"What am I supposed to think?" She leaned closer and he could see tears gather in the corner of her eyes. "Every chance you had to throw your life away, you gladly took it!"

"Whoa, whoa!" He waved his free hand around defensively as he attempted to calm her down. He had not expected her to get so emotional on him after just waking up. Apparently these thoughts had been building inside her over the past couple days. Now they were all getting released on the only person she could freely talk to: that being him, of course. "I assure you, I enjoy living very much! I have no intention of dying. I was just doing what I thought I had to do to protect you girls. That's why I wanted to become a Hunter in the first place. I want to live my life protecting people."

"Is that so? It looks to me like you're trying to die protecting people." That was kind of twisting his words...not that he could completely deny the truth there was to them.

"That's-" His breath hitched as he tried to deny them anyways. "-not completely true." Her grip on his hand tightened even more if that was possible. He felt all the circulation cut off to it. "Look, I'm not saying I want to die. It's just inevitable that it's how I'm going to die someday. My grandfather died on the battlefield, as did his father, and his father before him-"

"So what?" She cut him off. "They died swinging and so should you? For what? To hold up some twisted family tradition?"

"No!" Why had this conversation gotten so convoluted? "They all lived good lives. They fell in love, married, and raised a family. They died to protect all that. They were heroes!"

"Heroes are for children." She immediately rebuked him. "They were simply casualties in our long battle against the darkness."

"Then I guess I'm a child!" Her attitude towards all this was beginning to frustrate him even further. This was his family that she was talking about now. He had to find a way to turn this on her. There had to be a way to get her to understand. "There must be something you want so much that you would throw your life away for it? What if your death could bring lasting peace between the humans and Faunus?"

Blake for once didn't immediately respond. "If my life could really end all of that hatred between our two species, then of course. What you were trying to do is hardly as weighty as that. Yours was simply a life for a life." He couldn't stop a self-deprecating smile from appearing on his face.

"If my death could save even one person, I would be perfectly happy. Sure, I would be terrified as it happened, but just knowing that it was for someone else would put me at peace." Finally, Blake's grip on his hand loosened and he felt the blood-flow return.

"That's exactly the thing that worries me. Why do you value yourself so little?" Her question came out just above a whisper. For once, her confusion made sense to him. Even though she hid her true heritage, she was still proud of who she was. The very way she walked spoke follows of the self-confidence she harbored. He couldn't claim the same.

"I don't have an answer for that. It's just always been who I am." That was the honest truth. He wanted so badly to be so much more than what he saw of himself. He wanted to be brave, strong, and full of confidence in his abilities. However, he was just Jaune. No matter what he did he couldn't shake that image of the scared, weak, and pitiful person that he was. That was why he had come to Beacon. If anyplace was capable of changing that and allowing him to help people, it was here.

Blake sighed and averted her eyes. Awkward silence claimed them for several seconds.

"I believe you." She started slowly. "I guess this means I'm just going to have to be extra hard on you in your training."

"Wait, what?" He knew she had promised to train him, but he honestly thought that had just been a ploy to convince him to stay. He didn't think she was actually serious about taking time out of her schedule to help him improve. Especially since she was helping him get to a level he should already be at.

"As soon as you're completely healed and we know when classes are I'll set up a schedule." She was so amazing...too amazing. Why would someone like her do something like this for him? Doubt crept into his mind once again and it must have shown on his face, cause Blake tilted her head questioningly. "What's wrong?"

He couldn't believe he was about to ask this. Still, he wasn't sure what else to think anymore. With a heavy blush, he fired off his question. "Blake...do you...like me?"

She snorted at the question and rolled her eyes.

Ouch. A "no" would have been way less hurtful than that.

"Of course I like you. That's what being friends means." Oh, she had misunderstood him. That made him feel a little better but the aftereffect from the sting was still there.

"No, I mean as in-" He bit his tongue before he said the big L-word. "...-like-like. You know?"

A matching blush shot across her face as her eyes widened in shock. "W-What? Why would you ask me that?" He quickly averted his eyes and realized that she was still holding his hand despite everything. She followed his gaze and quickly pulled her own hands away. "Jaune, if this is about that kiss the other night-" Oh dust, he had partially forgotten about that. "-then I assure you it wasn't meant to be anything romantic. I simply- well- it's not like I was opposed to the idea- what I mean to say is- look, it wasn't like that, okay!"

He shook his head frantically. "It wasn't just that. It's just...everything!" He gestured outwardly to emphasize his point. "You nearly cried a few seconds ago because you thought I was suicidal and now you're offering to actually train me. It's just...I don't know." He barely whispered out the last part. "I've never had a girl be so nice to me before."

Blake sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Jaune, my feelings for you aren't romantic." She said that plainly enough. "That being said though, you are the first friend I've ever had so if I come off a little...forceful, that's probably why. Truth is, I'm not really sure what I'm doing. All I know is, you're important to me...as my first and currently, only friend."

"R-Right. Thanks for making that clear." He inhaled and exhaled deeply. He felt...relieved? That was kind of odd. Shouldn't he feel kinda crummy that such a beautiful girl as Blake didn't have feelings for him? Then again, it only made sense. There was no way he was worthy enough for her affections. Did that explain his relief then? If she had said "yes" would he have had to find a way to turn her down? It frightened him a little that he didn't know the answer to that.

"Just to be clear...you don't have romantic feelings for me, right?" Her words broke him from his thoughts and he glanced at her with a nervous grin. She was gazing at him with restrained anxiety. She was likely worried she had just hurt his feelings.

"No, I don't." He shook his head before realizing how bad that sounded. "W-What I mean to say is, you're beautiful and amazing and I would be lucky to have someone like you but-" He quit talking and opened and closed his hands as he tried to grabbed the proper words.

"Jaune. It's okay." She rested a hand gently on his shoulder. "I get it. I'm glad we were able to clear the air tonight. If I'm being honest, I was a little afraid you would get the wrong idea when you woke up. I was a little too nervous to bring it up myself though."

"Ha, sometimes I forget you're about as socially awkward as I am." She laughed in response. This was good. Back to normal now. Those conversations had gotten a little too heavy for him. "So how are Ruby and Weiss? Surely you bonded with them while I was asleep."

"Actually…" Blake scratched her cheek guiltily.

He couldn't believe it. They had been talking when he woke up. "Are you serious? I thought I had been out for two days."

"Ruby's sister was here whenever she was. Her sister is the exact opposite of people like us. It made having any meaningful conversations with her impossible. Weiss, we didn't even try."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "We're going to be on their team for the rest of our time here, Blake. You should at least try to talk to them."

"Look, I'm sorry that neither one of them decided to save my life from a Deathstalker as an icebreaker." He would have to remember that that seemed to be the quickest way to make meaningful friendships. "Anyways, I think Ruby and I will get along. You seem to already be pals with her so that should help. Weiss though-" She made a face that suggested she tasted something bitter.

Jaune shook his head and shifted himself. The cushions behind him were very comfortable and he was starting to feel incredibly sleepy all the sudden. Apparently two days wasn't enough for him. "We can hang out with them more tomorrow. I'm sure it'll all work out." He let out a yawn. It must have been infectious because Blake let out her own yawn.

"I'll see you in the morning for that thing the Professor was talking about." Blake pushed the chair back and crawled into the next bed over. He looked at her in confusion. "I've been sleeping here. I told you I was concerned you'd get the wrong idea." She smiled at him once more before rolling over. He noticed she kept her bow on as she slept. "Goodnight, Jaune."

"Yeah. Goodnight, Blake."

* * *

 **AN:** So...that got way more deep than I ever intended. Jaune continues to have his issues and I really plan to play on those as the story progresses. I'm taking a much darker tone with the way he feels about himself than the show takes it, but I don't believe these thoughts and feelings are outside his character either. Meanwhile, Blake continues to be difficult for me to write.

Next time, the teams get their names(finally) and the true nature of their initiation comes to light as their future at Beacon is determined.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 7 - Leader_

* * *

Jaune shuffled nervously on his feet.

He was standing by himself behind the curtains that led to the main stage of the auditorium. An auditorium that was very quickly filling up with all the other students in the school. He anxiously tugged at his school uniform. Normally, he would be wearing his hoodie and jeans but they had pretty much been tattered beyond repair during initiation.

Where the heck was Blake? She had said she was going to get Ruby and Weiss so why hadn't they returned yet? How far away were their dorm rooms from here actually? He had no idea. He didn't know anything about the layout of this school. He would have gotten lost coming here if the scary Professor Goodwitch hadn't guided him.

"Hey, look who it is!" The voice of Ruby's sister caused him to turn hopefully to the back entrance. Unfortunately, it was just her team and his wasn't with them. "Disappointed to see us, Captain Atlas?" She grinned cheekily as she punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"You know I don't come from Atlas, right?" He really wasn't sure what was up with Yang and always coming up with nicknames for everyone. "Anyways, I was actually hoping your sister and my team was with you. Did you see them?"

Yang shook her head. "I can't say that I did. They better get a move on. This thing is about to start soon. Suck if you had to go out there by yourself to represent the team." Great, as if he wasn't nervous enough. Was she trying to freak him out more? Knowing Yang, the answer was yes.

"I'm sure they'll be here. No need to worry." Pyrrha gave her partner a sharp glance before resting her hand comfortingly on Jaune's shoulder.

"Thanks." Jaune nodded appreciatively to her. He then looked at their last two teammates. He didn't know either of their names, despite having fought side by side with them briefly. He decided he was going to fix that. Especially since one of them was another guy. He was starting to feel effeminate being surrounded constantly by woman (not that it was much different growing up). "Hey, my name is Jaune Arc." He walked up to them and extended a hand. "Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it." It might have been getting redundant to say it, but it still felt like the easiest way for him to break the ice. It had already worked twice, why not a third time?

"Classy." He heard Yang snicker from behind.

"Howdy there Jauney!" The girl bounced up to him and gripped his hand so hard he thought it was going to pop. "My name is Nora and I'm super happy to meet you, even though we technically already met, but this is our first time talking! You passed out last time before we could talk. How are you feeling since then? I haven't seen you around, like at all. Do you like Pancakes? I bet you do. We're going to be the bestest of friends, I can tell already!"

"Nora." The boy in green said with exasperation. Nora paused for a second to look at him. Jaune was thankful for the brief respite. He had not planned to be verbally assaulted. Where the heck was his team?

"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce him. He's Lie Ren! We're childhood friends! We've been together for like, ever! Oh, but not together-together, you know? We're just friends! Best friends! What about you? Do you have a best friend! Oh my gosh! I just had the greatest idea! Your best friend and my best friend should hang out and then they'll become friends! But not best friends. That would leave us without our besties. We can't have that!"

"Alright, Queen of the castle, come on." Yang grabbed Nora by the back of her collar and started dragging her away from him.

"Queen of the castle?"

"Don't ask." Pyrrha mumbled while rubbing her forehead therapeutically. Apparently her team was a bit of a handful even for her.

Jaune just shrugged. Whatever. Now was his chance to get to know this Lie Ren guy. He turned to him and opened his mouth.

"Mr. Arc!" Professor Goodwitch snapped as she walked into the room. Seriously, was this on purpose? "Where is the rest of your team! Everyone is seated and the Headmaster is going to introduce you all any minute!"

"Uhh…" Jaune opened and closed his mouth as he tried to formulate a good excuse. "...they got lost on the road of life?" Why did it sound like he was asking a question when he was supposed to be making excuses? The Professor's eye twitched and he could have sworn he saw her grip on her riding crop tighten a little.

"We're here!" Ruby bust into the room just as she opened her mouth to reprimand him further. Blake and Weiss followed just behind her. Professor Goodwitch stared at the three of them for several moments before walking out with a huff. She didn't even ask what had kept them.

"I'm so happy to see you guys!" Jaune cried as he ran up to the three of them. "What the heck happened? I almost had to go out there by myself!"

"This one-" Weiss hiked her thumb at a sheepish Ruby. "-took off down the wrong way. You know how fast she is, of course. Took us forever just to grab her so we could drag her over here."

"Hehe, my bad." Ruby stuck her tongue out, tilted her head and lightly bopped it with her fist. It was actually a really cute gesture and Jaune found his anger dissipating against his will. Damn it, why was he so weak to quirky girls? He should be better than this!

He let out a sigh as he reached his hand forward and jostled her hair. "Way to go, Crater Face. I thought we'd already established that you're not supposed to take point? You have no sense of direction."

Ruby giggled as he pulled his hand back. "Neither do you Vomit Boy. I bet someone had to hold your hand to get you here." Dang, she had him there.

"You're both hopeless," Weiss crossed her arms and glared at them.

"If I recall, you almost led us the wrong way several times yourself in Forever Fall so you don't have much room to talk." Blake's comment caused Weiss to go red in the face but she didn't have anything to say in response.

Jaune grinned at his best friend. "Great, Blake is the official map-bearer of the group! Any objections?"

"Nope!"

"Nay."

Ruby and Weiss responded respectively.

"Wait, what?"

"Enjoy your new title, buddy." Jaune patted her lightly on the shoulder and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Oh, what am I? What am I?" Ruby bounced around excitedly as she asked Jaune.

Surprisingly it was Weiss who responded. "Mascot."

Half-second of silence later:

"That seems appropriate."

"Definitely mascot material."

Blake commented and then Jaune.

"What the heck!" Ruby folded her arms and pouted at them.

"Cheer up, Rubes." Yang strolled back over and draped an arm over her shoulder. "It means they think you're cute." This caused her to blush.

"Ah, nothing like young camaraderie." Ozpin had strolled into the room without anyone noticing. All eight pairs of eyes were immediately watching him with varying levels of anxiety. He took a sip of his mug and made eye-contact with each of them in turn before speaking again. "I recommend holding off on assigning more team positions until after you know who the leaders of your team are." He looked between Jaune and Weiss meaningfully.

"Then let's get this over with! I'm dying to know what these past few days have been about!" Naturally, it was Yang that spurred Ozpin to get on with it. An embarrassed Pyrrha could only shake her head.

"I suppose it is about that time." Ozpin leisurely strolled forward and towards the curtains that separated them from the audience. "All the student's have been seated and are anxiously awaiting this revelation. Now then, could I ask for your two teams to line up in the order I give you." He pointed with his cane to the right end of the stage. "Pyrrha Nikos, Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie: line up in that order over there." He then indicated to the left end. "Jaune Arc, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose: line up in that order over there. Face the audience and do try to stand up straight. We're showing you off after all."

"Showing us off?" Jaune whispered as he took his spot next to Weiss. She only shrugged in response. Now that he thought about it, she was probably used to things like this. Too bad he wasn't.

Ozpin took his place in the center of the stage and tapped his cane twice on the ground. As if on cue, the curtains pulled back, revealing the nine of them to the audience. Jaune had to squint as floodlights beamed directly into his eyes. He had to fight the urge to raise his hands to block it out and instead held them staunchly behind his back. He tried to make out the mass of figures behind the lights but they came out as little more than shadows to him. He could tell there was a lot of them though. Beacon's auditorium was by no means small yet every single seat was filled up. They couldn't all possibly be students could they? Beacon surely didn't accept that many applicants. Who else could they be though? And why would they be there to see them?

The loud murmur of voices quieted almost as immediately as the curtains opened and the whole room was filled with a silence far too eerie for as many people as there were. It was like no one even dared breath before Ozpin began talking. "I thank you all for taking your time to attend today. As per usual, I will keep this...brief." Jaune remembered the last time this man had said that. His words then had been anything but encouraging.

"Standing behind me are eight students that proved themselves beyond extraordinary on the field in the special initiation held a few days prior. They passed numerous obstacles set up for them and defeated a myriad of Grimm on their travels...including an infamous Chimera." Several gasps were heard and excited chat broke out from the audience. Jaune had no idea that killing one of those things was such a big deal.

Ozpin held his hand up and everyone became silent once again. "So...I present to you, Beacon's candidates for Project Lambent." What the heck was that? Jaune had never heard of it before.

"The first team consists of Pyrrha Nikos, Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren, and Nora Valkyrie." He held his hand out towards them and as he said each of their names they took a step forward into a spotlight that had appeared in front of them. "They will form team PYRN (Pyrene), led by Miss Nikos." He then turned towards Jaune and his team and Jaune felt himself tense up. They were about to be called on. Was he sweating? Yeah, he was pretty sure he was. Could the audience see that? Oh dust, he hoped not.

"The second team will consist of Jaune Arc-" Jaune shuffled forward, incredibly conscious of every move he made as he did. "-Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Ruby Rose." They each took their place under the spotlight down the line from him. "They will form team AWBR (Auburn), led by Mr Arc."

"Huh?" Crap, he hadn't meant to ask that out loud. Seriously, had he just misheard Ozpin? Surely he must of. There was no way in hell he was made team leader. He checked his teammates expressions but they only helped confirm his nightmare. Weiss looked very, and he meant very, nonplussed. That was putting it lightly. Blake wasn't showing much expression but he could see an approving smile and coming from her that spoke volumes. Ruby was giving him a huge thumbs-up.

He turned back to Ozpin and saw the older man give him a small nod and mouth the word "Congratulations." No, no, no. This had to be a mistake. He didn't want to be a leader. He didn't deserve to be leader. What's more, he was leader for some team that was part of this 'Project Lambent.' Should he say something? Tell them this was all some kind of mistake. Maybe a typo? He should probably wait until after they got away from this audience.

"And there you have it. Any questions you have will be happily taken up by my staff while I debrief these teams on their new enrollment." Ozpin finished as quickly as promised and turned on his heels. As he did, the audience exploded into a volley of words which he promptly ignored. "If you children would follow me." He waved them forward with his cane and they all sprung into action at once. "We have much to discuss."

"That is an understatement." He heard Weiss growl this out and hastened his pace a little. He could feel her glare holes into the back of his head.

It was going to be a long walk to the office.

* * *

Blake observed Jaune's back carefully as they all followed after the headmaster through the halls of Beacon. The route they were taking was rather unorthodox seeing as the headmasters office was pretty much just on the other side of the auditorium. If Blake had to guess, she would say he was dodging all the curious eyes of the attendees.

Back to Jaune, he seemed like an anxious wreck. Every subtle noise caused him to flinch and glance around nervously. Then there were the brief glimpses he kept giving Weiss. He would make eye-contact with her for a second, his eyes would widen in fear and he would quickly turn back forward as his pace hastened for a couple steps. He repeated this about every five seconds.

Blake turned to Weiss and saw her glaring daggers at him. If looks could kill...well, death was probably the most pleasant thing the heiress was plotting for their new leader at the moment. It was very clear that she had wanted to become leader of the team, and probably felt she deserved it. The fact that it was Jaune of all people was probably just ripping her apart on the inside. The thought of that made Blake ecstatic.

This of course wasn't the only reason she was glad Jaune was made leader. If it would've been any of them, Blake was glad it was him. The reasons why she didn't want it to be Weiss went without saying. Ruby seemed more than capable enough, but even Blake had to admit she would find it hard to accept orders from a fifteen-year-old girl. She had no desire to be put in the spotlight herself. While she was sure she had some practical skills to bring forth, being vocal about them wasn't exactly her strong suit.

That really only left Jaune as her obvious choice. She trusted his judgement (provided his own life wasn't the one on the line). He had proven multiple times that he could come up with effective strategies on the fly and better yet, communicate them understandably. While he was without a doubt, a doofus, he seemed to shine under pressure. Perhaps most importantly, this could only be good for his confidence issues. Once he settled into his role and started to realize what an excellent leader he truly was, perhaps he would naturally start to feel better about himself. It was worth a shot at least.

Blake had no doubt Ruby was on board with following him. Now that just meant convincing Weiss. This caused her to scowl as she thought of what she might have to do to coerce the heiress into willingly following Jaune. Dust forbid she might actually have to try and befriend her! Still, it would all be worth it if it would help out her best friend.

"Here we are." Ozpin took his place behind and his desk and with a jolt, Blake realized they were here. She really had to quit zoning out while thinking. It was always a bad habit of hers.

The big man that had picked them up from Forever Fall was standing next to Ozpin. "It's good to see you all in good health." His gaze lingered on Jaune for a moment before he continued. "Before we begin, I want you to know that I think you performed extraordinarily out there. Very few fully-trained hunters could have accomplished what the eight of you did. My name is James Ironwood, General of the Atlas Military. I am here to fill you in on the details of Project Lambent."

Not one of them responded. Blake glanced at the others to see they were waiting with as much baited anticipation as she was. Apparently, none of them had heard of this Project either. That was strange in and of itself. Very little happened without at least someone catching wind of it. From what she could tell, their teams came from pretty diverse backgrounds too. It seemed impossible that not one of them had heard even a rumor about this before now.

"Let me begin by asking you all a question." Ironwood took their silence as his cue to continue. "What do you think the main purpose of training hunters and huntresses is?" His question was greeted with more silence. "No one has any idea?" He asked mockingly.

"To defeat evil!" Ruby declared boldly.

"To protect others." Jaune mumbled his answer.

"I know, it's so we can get really good at blowing things up!" That was of course, Nora.

"Hunters and Huntresses are trained to perform numerous tasks. There's no limit to the things we might be asked to do-"

"That's not what I'm asking." Ironwood cut Pyrrha off. "I asked what the main purpose was. Yes, Hunters and Huntresses have evolved overtime to be glorified peacekeepers, but there is a much more simple task that they originally had. That is to this day their true purpose."

"Hunting Grimm." It was the ever-quiet Ren that provided the answer.

"Precisely." Ironwood pointed excitedly into the air. "Hunters and Huntresses are trained to hunt and kill Grimm. Most of society has lost sight of this however, and now Grimm are becoming a bigger threat than ever. Any year now and they could overrun one of the Kingdoms we're working so hard to simply protect. We need to go on the offensive. The problem with going on the offensive is that we simply don't have enough Hunters in the world to designate them all to this task. Society has gotten too dependent on them to keep peace within the Kingdoms that they fail to send them outside of them to truly do their jobs. That leaves us with two routes with which to travel. Accept more students by pulling from a pool of those less qualified…" Jaune visibly flinched. "...or focus on the best and make them even better. Quantity vs. Quality. Project Lambent is the result of us choosing the latter and gearing them specifically at the destruction of Grimm."

"Which brings us to what you've all been waiting to hear. Project Lambent...is essentially a new academy designed to do just that. It is being funded by a personal friend of mine and he will be acting headmaster there. Multiple academies in Remnant will be sending candidates to this school. In total, there will only be about eighty students attending. Significantly smaller than what even Beacon accepts. You were all chosen based on your performances after a special evaluation. You're of course aware of the details of your own evaluation." Blake didn't need to be reminded of that hellish thing they called initiation.

"So...you're saying we won't be Beacon students?" Jaune raised his hand as he asked his question. Ironwood turned to regard him and he lowered it before flashing a nervous smile.

"If I may, James." Ozpin leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. Ironwood merely nodded and extended his hand for the headmaster to continue. "You will be learning at Lambent, however, you will be there as representatives of Beacon. How you perform there will reflect on Beacon's status. Perform well, and you will be rewarded...perform poorly, and you'll be given incentives to improve yourselves." Jaune audibly gulped.

"So...we're competing against the other students there?" Ruby asked the question Blake was just thinking.

"That's correct." Ironwood took the conversation back over. "A little competition is always a good motivator. Now onto the finer details of what you can expect." He picked up a stack of envelopes and walked over to pass them out. Blake grabbed hers and flipped it open to see numerous pages inside. After Ironwood finished, he resumed talking. "There are two kingdoms on the continent of Vytal. They exist on almost opposite ends of one another. Located in the middle of the continent is a vast badlands. Grimm are numerous and the landscape is brutal. This is where Lambent has been built." Blake flipped one of the pages to see a giant metal tower. It looked almost like a lighthouse to her. "You will be at this academy for the next two years of your life. Expect to go on numerous excursions into the surrounding landscape where every ounce of your skills will be tested. While not on missions, you will stay at Lambent. You will of course have classes as you would here at Beacon, but they'll be a little different. We're training you for Grimm. Expect everything to be geared towards that."

"Professor Peter Port will be going with you." Ozpin spoke again. "He is our Grimm Studies teacher here at Beacon. If you ever need anything, he will be acting as Beacon's advisor. The other schools are sending staff of their own. They will of course teach you as well, but remember, they're going to be looking out for their own students. Their standing is determined on your success as well." He turned to Ironwood and smiled. "I think that is enough information for them for now."

"Yes, you have your packets. Review them. If you have any questions about the details, Ozpin, Peter, or myself will be more than happy to answer them for you. You leave in a week." He broke into a big grin as he made eye-contact with them all. "Congratulations. I wish you luck at Lambent. Students of my own will be your competition."

Several moments of silence settled between them as Blake and the others tried to take everything in that was just thrown at them. It was almost too unreal. They had just survived the most brutal set of tasks they had ever faced...all to attend this school. Now, they were a week away from being shipped off to about as far from civilization as you can get. All for some special 'Project'. If you asked Blake, it sounded to her like they were guinea pigs for some twisted experiment. Still, this was an incredible opportunity. Their talents had been recognized and if this Lambent was all it was cracked up to be, they might to be first of a new, more powerful breed of Hunters.

"Do...do we just go to our dorms for now?" Pyrrha asked awkwardly. It definitely seemed like they had been dismissed but not a single one of them had made an effort to move from their spots. Probably still the shock.

Ozpin smirked at them. "For now, that would be best. You are of course allowed to use all the facilities here at Beacon for the remainder of your stay. That includes the training room, and the library. You are still Beacon students after all."

Pyrrha took a hesitant step backwards. Then another. Finally, she turned and began making her way for the door, albeit with her head turned to watch the headmaster on her way out. As she moved, her team followed after all at once, as if they had been set free from some invisible confinement. Blake turned to follow after and she heard Jaune fall into place next to her.

"Wait right there, Arc!" Weiss snapped and everyone paused. All their eyes turned to see her pointing dramatically at their poor, fearful leader. "You and I are going to have a chat with the headmaster...privately." She sent a telling glare to everyone else to make her point clear.

Blake glared right back at Weiss and stepped up to Jaune, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Anything you have to say to our leader, you can say to all of us." She practically spat these words out.

"Guys, don't fight." Ruby quickly got between the two girls. She shifted her gaze fearfully between the two of them.

"I have no intention of fighting anyone. I simply wish to talk to the headmaster about his choice of appointment. I figured I would give Arc the chance to defend himself." Blake doubted Weiss' words were hardly as moral as they sounded. She just wanted to rip Jaune's already failing confidence apart even further. That and be made leader.

"You've got another thing coming if you think I'm going to take orders from you. Jaune was made the leader and he is the one I'm going to follow." The tension between the two of them worsened as Weiss narrowed her eyes at Blake. The temperature in the room dropped several degrees and she heard PYRN shuffle awkwardly backwards as they tensed for combat.

"Weiss, just give it a chance." Ruby quietly pleaded.

"You're taking her side!?" Weiss shouted with indignation. "You're supposed to be my partner!"

"I'm not taking sides!" Ruby's voice escalated after Weiss' fury turned on her. "Jaune was made the leader and I think we should respect that decision." Blake felt herself smirking at the back of Ruby's head. With all three of them aligned against Weiss, it would be easy to force her to back down. You couldn't become team leader through coercion if no one was on your side.

"Guys, it's alright. I'll hear what she has to say to say. You can head out." Oh god damnit. Blake had forgotten that Jaune was an idiot that probably didn't want to be leader to begin with. There was no way she was going to let him talk his way out of this. It was best for all of them.

She leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "Don't you dare let her be leader. You're the only leader I'll follow. Just believe in yourself a little."

He gave her an appreciative smile and patted the hand that was still on his shoulder. "Thanks Blake. We're just going to talk it over. If Ozpin likes what she has to say and makes her leader, then that is his decision. We should all respect that." He made a point of meeting Ruby's eyes as he said the last line.

"Jaune, you don't have to do this." Ruby shook her head and stared at him with the biggest puppy-dog eyes she could manage.

"I do have to do this." He affirmed himself and took a commanding stance. "As your current team leader, I'm telling you two to trust me. We'll meet you guys out there in a few minutes." Blake clicked her teeth and Ruby lowered her shoulders in dejection.

"James, if you would show the others out." Ozpin finally spoke up and Blake remembered they had just had this whole confrontation in front of two of the most influential people in the world. They would be lucky if they didn't just revoke their acceptance to this special Project.

"Of course." Ironwood nodded, his face a mask of indifference. It was impossible for her to gauge what it was he was thinking as he walked up to them. He placed one of his big hands on Ruby's shoulder. "Come on, let's leave them to it."

"Jaune." Blake prepared to make one last ditch effort to convince him. He turned to look at her and the words on the tip of her mouth died as she looked into his blue eyes. The expression he put into them was that of reassurance. He had some kind of plan. Whatever this was about, it wasn't about him rolling over and giving Weiss leader.

"I don't need to force you out, right?" Ironwood asked as he passed by their side. Blake allowed her eyes to hold contact with Jaune's a moment longer before pulling away to end their silent conversation. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she knew it was going to be alright now. She just had to believe in him.

"No, I'm leaving." Blake fell in line with Ruby and they walked out together. PYRN scrambled after them from behind and Ironwood shut the door as he left. They rode the elevator down to the ground floor.

"I recommend that all of you get plenty of rest. Your experiences at Lambent will be extremely taxing, even for the most diligent of students. I'll be flying you there personally next week." The door opened just as Ironwood finished and he walked ahead of the rest of them. The others shuffled after him in silence for several seconds.

"Well," Yang was naturally the first to recover. "Talk about awkward!"

"Do you think they'll be fine?" Pyrrha looked at the elevator to Ozpin's office with great concern.

"I really hope Weiss isn't too harsh on him." Ruby twiddled her fingers as her eyes shifted aimlessly around.

"Jaune'll be fine." Blake rested a reassuring hand on Ruby's head.

"How do you figure?" Yang didn't sound convinced. "You were the most against this while we were in there. What changed your mind?"

"I just remembered something about Jaune as we were leaving, that's all." Blake didn't elaborate any further. She knew what she was talking about and that was enough for her.

After all, Jaune knew what he was doing.

* * *

Jaune had no idea what the hell he was doing.

Several minutes ago, Jaune wanted nothing more than to give up his role as leader to anyone else on the team. Ruby would probably make a better leader than he would. Yet here he stood now, prepared to go up against Weiss to maintain his position. He wasn't going to hand it over. Not after Blake and Ruby both vouched for him. He may not have any respect for himself, but he had only the greatest respect for them...and if they believed in him, then he was sure has hell going to give it a shot.

That just left him one really, really big obstacle: convincing Weiss. It was no secret that she wasn't very fond of him, and he couldn't blame her. Still, things like that didn't matter. He wanted, no, he needed her support. If he was going to lead this team and keep them all alive, he needed to know they would follow his lead. That was what was most important to him, keeping them alive. With this resolve in place, he took a defiant stance right in front Ozpin's desk. Weiss stepped up next to him, prepared to make her points.

Ozpin had what Jaune could only describe as an amused grin as he shifted his eyes back and forth between the two of them. It almost looked like he had expected this to happen. It wouldn't surprise Jaune at all if that was actually the case. This guy did seem to get kicks out of putting him in difficult situations. "Well then, how about we do this in a proper candidate style. Miss Schnee, I'll let you give your points first since you're the one challenging. Mr Arc will then have his turn to defend his position. I'll ask you both some questions after you've given your piece and once I'm satisfied will make my decision."

"Acceptable." Weiss crossed her arms and sent Jaune and sideways glare.

He only shrugged. "Sounds fair to me."

"Very well then. Miss Schnee, you have the floor." He gestured to her with his mug.

"Thank you, Professor." She straightened her stance and cleared her throat. "The reasons I'm a far more suitable candidate as opposed to this buffoon-" Man, she didn't have to be so mean. "- are numerous. For starters, heritage. I am the next in line to run the prestigious Schnee Dust company. I have been groomed my whole life on how to make decisions and and run a company that has its hand in every kingdom. Decisions that will affect the lives of thousands on a daily basis. Leading three students hardly seems a challenge when compared to that. Next is skill: I effortlessly dispatched numerous Grimm on my own out there while Arc here blundered about trying to kill even the most mundane of adversary we came across. Need I remind you Professor, that it was my strategy that we employed to kill the Chimera. Most of the credit for that kill without a doubt, goes to myself. I am not saying that Arc is without his merits, but none of them contribute to effectively leading a team. I could go on, but I think I've painted a pretty clear picture with just that. I have no desire to waste more of your time than necessary."

Ozpin didn't say anything. Instead he wore the same amused smile he had the whole time since this thing started. He shifted his gaze off Weiss and directed it to Jaune. Well, it looked like it was his turn. He hadn't prepared a speech nearly as elaborate as Weiss'. He was going back to his trusty fall-back of winging it. It usually worked, why not now?

He inhaled deeply and let out a deep breath. "A lot of the things Weiss just said are true. Killing even the weakest Grimm is a difficult task for me. I'm not all that smart. Most of the things I came up with were desperate attempts to survive. However, I will do whatever it takes to keep this team together." Weiss scoffed at this claim. He didn't blame her. She didn't trust him. That was the thing that separated the two of them. "Blake and Ruby trust me. They'll lend me their support whenever I need it. That's the one thing that initiation really taught me: trust in your comrades."

He turned to Weiss. "You came back for Blake and I. Thank you for that."

She blushed lightly as her face contorted in confusion. "W-what?"

"I just realized that I never thanked you. Ruby told me you had been prepared to knock out that scary General to bring the ship back. Blake may have her doubts, but I know deep down you're a good person. You're all of the things you just said you were. You're smart, resourceful, beautiful, and kind of harsh. I trust you completely. I know it's not what you wanted, but I want you to lend me your talents to help make this team the best it can be as my vice-commander. Yours is the only role we hadn't decided on yet, after all." Weiss opened and closed her mouth, unable to form words. Multiple emotions swapped upon her face every second before settling on one of contemplation.

Jaune turned back to Ozpin. He hadn't meant to start addressing Weiss in the middle, it had just kind of happened. "Sorry, that's all I have to say. You can make your decision now."

Ozpin's amused smile morphed into a smirk. "I don't think there is any need for that anymore, do you Miss Schnee?"

"Huh?" Weiss was snapped out of her stupor and pointed at her own face in confusion, unsure if Ozpin meant her. He merely stared at her as it was obvious he wasn't talking to anyone else. Weiss' face switched to one of resignation and she let out a tired sigh. "How stupid. Like I could compete against such blunt honesty as that. Scheming politicians were much easier to deal with."

"So then…?" Jaune couldn't believe it. Was she saying what he thought she was?

"I'm agreeing to be your vice-commander...temporarily." Jaune couldn't help the big grin he felt reach across his face. Weiss grimaced as she saw it. "You better be prepared for me to call you out on your blunders though! If I ever feel you're not suited to the task I won't hesitate to rip your authority from you! The only reason I'm agreeing to this is because Belladonna and Ruby won't follow me at all if I take the position from you now."

"I can accept that." He took a couple steps towards her and stuck his hand out.

Weiss glared at it for a second before reaching her own hand forward and giving his a brief shake. "You better convince that partner of yours of this. This won't work otherwise."

"Blake will understand. We're all in this together." He tried to assure her but the doubt remained on her face. "We won't know for sure until we try. Come on, let's go talk to them." He nodded his head towards the door and she took a step towards it.

"Actually, I would like a word alone with Mr Arc for a second." Ozpin called out, stopping them both in their tracks. Weiss gave Jaune a confused look but he could only shrug. He looked to the headmaster who had yet to move from behind his desk. Whatever it was he wanted to talk to him about, Jaune hadn't the slightest clue.

He sighed before nodding to Weiss. "Go on ahead. I'll be right behind you." Her gaze lingered on him for a second before listening to what he said.

Jaune turned back to Ozpin and heard the door shut behind him. He waited for the headmaster to talk. Several seconds went by and nothing was said. Still, Jaune waited. The only audible noise in the room were the numerous gears both above and below him as they turned. This room was rather eerie actually. Who had glass floors anymore? Those things were just freaky.

A full minute went by and Ozpin still said nothing. They only thing he did at all was take a sip from his mug from time to time. Was this some sort of test? Maybe Ozpin was waiting for him to say something first? What if he was waiting for someone else to join them? Who would that be though? Maybe it was school security? What if he knew along that Jaune had faked his transcripts to get in and had launched him into the forest thinking he would quit? Now that that hadn't happened was he going to forcefully eject him from the school? Wait, that didn't make sense. He wouldn't have made him team leader if he was just going to expel him.

"Do you always let your emotions show so readily on your face, Mr. Arc?" Ozpin finally said something.

"Huh?" Jaune was suddenly very aware of every muscle in use in his face. His face was undoubtedly contorted in something akin to pure panic. "Umm...yes?" Note to self, never play poker. He would be broke.

"Hmm." Ozpin merely nodded at Jaune's response. "It's been awhile since I've met someone as entertaining as yourself Mr. Arc." Jaune knew it! This guy got kicks out of everything he put him through! "You won Miss Schnee over rather quickly. I can't help but wonder if that was a calculated move or more of your fight-or-flight instincts doing the talking for you."

What was this guy talking about now? How could Jaune have calculated any of that? He had just said the truth. "Weiss isn't as cold-hearted as she pretends to be. Everything I said was true."

Ozpin tapped his desk as he considered his words. "Interesting. If I'm being honest, I didn't expect you to defend your position. I thought you would have tried to convince me to promote her to leader instead. It's very rare for someone to go against my expectations like that."

Jaune ran his hand through his hair and gave a guilty grin. "I had honestly planned to do the same up until I saw how against it Blake and Ruby were. For the sake of keeping the team together I'm willing to bear the weight of this position."

"Oh?" Ozpin raised a curious eyebrow. "And what weight is that?"

"The weight of their lives of course." Jaune's face and stance settled into staunch determination. "No matter what happens out there, I'm going to protect the three of them with my life...and my decisions."

Ozpin lifted his hands and crossed his fingers in front of his mouth as he leaned forward. Jaune could've sworn he saw him smile before doing that. "That right there is precisely why I made you the leader of this team. I imagine it is this resolve of yours that has earned Miss Belladonna's unwavering trust. I can only imagine how impossible that is normally to earn. She's also clearly had a positive influence on you. You could gain a lot to display this kind of assurance more often Mr. Arc. I'm expecting great things from you in Lambent. You and the rest of AWBR. Which brings me to the last thing I wished to discuss with you."

Ozpin pulled open a drawer from his desk and began shuffling through some papers. He pulled out a loan file and and gently tossed it to the far side of the desk, closest to Jaune. "I have my concerns about this school, you see."

"Concerns?" Jaune titled his head in confusion. "Like what?"

"James is certain that this school is best for everyone in the world. He truly believes that if we don't change the way we do things soon it might be too late. I don't think he's entirely wrong, but I also think he's excluding one group of people when he says everyone."

"Who?"

"You and your fellow students, Mr. Arc." Jaune instinctively snapped his head back. Ozpin's voice had a small hint of...resentment in it. Not directed at him, thankfully, but it was there. When Ozpin continued it was gone and his voice was as monotone as usual. "You are all so young. I worry that this academy is built so far from society so it can structure you all in anyway it sees fit. That it doesn't see the need to raise young adults with healthy minds because its only goal is to have you exterminate Grimm."

"Stop, stop right there!" Jaune waved his hands frantically in front of his face and took a couple hesitant steps back. "Why would you support something like this if you have so many worries about it?"

"With or without Beacon's support, it was going to happen. By agreeing to go along with it, I can maintain my relationship with James and the other schools that are also sending attendees. Also, this gives me a chance to send someone in that can observe and report everything it is that he witnesses while there."

Jaune nodded as he finally began to understand what the headmaster was talking about. Well, most of it. "That's all well and good, but why are you telling me all this?" Ozpin raised his eyebrow at him and Jaune felt himself break out in a cold-sweat. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no! I'm not some kind of spy! I can barely keep a secret! Trust me, you don't want me to do it! Why not have this Grimm studies teacher do it?"

"Peter is hardly the most...discreet person I know. I'm also concerned that they'll be paying closer attention to him than they will another student." Ozpin reached his hand forward and tapped the folder he had just tossed forward. "Besides, to my understanding, you actually have a couple secrets that you're hiding quite well at the moment."

Jaune gulped. He took an uneasy step forward despite every warning bell in his brain telling him not to. He walked right up to the desk and placed his hand on the folder. They trembled so badly he had a hard time grasping the side of it to flip it open. When he finally managed to, all of his worst fears were confirmed.

His transcripts stared him right back in the face. His incredibly fake, very forged transcripts.

Ozpin didn't say anything more and Jaune knew he didn't need to. Forgery wasn't the worst law one could break but it did have some steep stipulations if caught. Best case scenario he would have to pay a hefty fine and would forever be blacklisted from any and all Hunter training facilities. That would be a bit of a dream-crusher right there. Still, there was one other thing that bothered him. One other thing Ozpin had mentioned just before.

"You...you said I was hiding a couple secrets." There was only one other that he knew of.

"Miss Belladonna's trust is nearly impossible to earn. There's only one way she would trust you so unwaveringly." Damn it, damn it, damn it. Jaune grit his teeth in irritation. Letting himself take the fall was one thing. He could never do anything that had a chance of breaking Blake's trust though.

"Fine. I'll be your spy."

"It's hardly anything that dramatic." Ozpin reached forward and flipped the folder shut before pulling it back. "I just need you to covertly sneak around Lambent from time to time and report to me your findings." That sounded exactly like a spy to him. "I'll give you a much more detailed packet and everything else you'll need before you leave. Thank you for your time. You're dismissed."

Jaune spun on his heels and made his way for the door as quickly as possible. Better not give this guy the chance to change his mind and say something more.

He opened the door and stepped into the elevator. As it lurched and began taking him down to the ground floor he leaned back against the door and slid to his butt. He pulled his knees to his chest and placed his hands on his forehead and pressed in. What the hell had just happened in there? It was as he feared the whole time. The headmaster knew he was a cheat. The only reason he let him stay was so he could use him.

Was...that really right though? Ozpin had no way of predicting that Jaune would end up on the team that would complete the trial for Lambent. If anything it was more likely the opposite would happen and he should've died in that cave while fighting that Deathstalker.

Maybe that meant Ozpin was desperate? He must really be concerned about what was happening at this school. If that was true did that put his team in danger? Well, danger outside of the constant threat of Grimm. As Jaune came to this conclusion it suddenly seemed much more imperative that he take this seriously. Ozpin may have been using underhanded means to enlist him, but he was doing it to protect them all. Thinking about it that way made Jaune feel at least a little better about the whole thing.

The elevator slowed to a stop and the door opposite of him opened. With a resigned sigh, Jaune got to his feet and walked out into the hallway. He had to put this whole thing to the back of his head. He couldn't let any of the others know about this. Just smile and be goofy as usual. That was all he had to do.

To his surprise, no one he knew was around. Both teams had vanished and he only saw a few others students he didn't recognize as they milled around the hall.

Had they gone on ahead? He hoped they didn't get into another fight. Only way to know was to check their room...where was their room again?

Oh crap! He hadn't been to their room once yet. He had no idea where it was. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know where anything in this damn school was. Time to explore.

Just as he decided a direction to go, something flew at him. His reflexes reacted for him and he caught whatever it was. Upon inspecting it he realized it was Crocea Mors. "What the heck?" He looked up to see who had his weapon to see Blake glaring at him.

"Weiss more or less filled me in." Oh shit. Out of the frying pan and into the fire he guessed. At least this would distract him from what Ozpin had said for a minute.

"I'm guessing you're a little angry about all that?" He gripped his sheathed sword a little more closely to his chest in fear as Blake walked up to him.

"A little." She grabbed his hand and began pulling him down the hall.

"Would you believe me if I said that I did what I thought was best for the team?" She seemed way more than 'a little' mad to him. He could practically feel the anger seething off her aura. If her cat ears were visible he'd bet they were flat against her head.

"You thought making that stuck-up princess co-leader was for the best of the team? I'm dying to hear your reasoning on that one." She didn't turn around and continued to pull him along to wherever it was she was taking him. If she wasn't so mad he might've been paying more attention to all the looks they were getting from the other students as they walked hand-in-hand down the hall.

"The official title is vice-commander actually." He grimaced in pain as she squeezed his hand. "Look, I had to compromise somewhere. I'm trying really hard to keep everyone happy right now!"

"You're doing a fantastic job." If that wasn't sarcasm he had no idea what was. Why did Blake seem to feel so betrayed by this? Did she hate Weiss that much? What had she ever done to her?

"Blake, I'm sorry. I didn't know it would upset you this much. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" He really didn't need her mad at him now of all times. He had enough on his plate as it was. To his relief, Blake's hand loosened a little on his own.

"I'll accept your apology...after we're done."

"Done?" Blake finally stopped in front of a set of doors. Jaune looked up to see they were in front of Beacon's training facility. The doors slid open and Blake pulled him inside. Jaune had a bad feeling where this was going. "You're going to start training me right now?"

"Right this minute."

"There are others around. Maybe when it's less crowded?" He shifted his eyes to all the others that currently occupied the room with them. They were watching the two of them with great interest.

"No, I really feel like venting my anger at you right now." Man, Blake was sometimes a little too direct around him. He should start having Ruby hang around just as a bodyguard. Blake was much more reserved around her. Blake pulled him up to an unoccupied arena and finally let him go before walking to the other side and taking her battle stance.

"Aww...man." He resigned himself to fate and pulled his sword out. His sheath expanded into his shield and he took his own sloppy combat stance. "I don't suppose you'll go easy?"

Blake smirked at him.

"Not a chance."

* * *

 **AN:** It's been awhile, huh? I think this is the longest I've gone without updating. My job is really eating into my time lately (retail during the holidays will do that), but I'm hopefully back on track. Writer's block kinda hit me for the first time since I've started writing this story too so it was just a bad combo.

On the note of writing: Coeur Al'Aran has generously agreed to BETA for me so any improvements you notice in writing would be a credit to that. To those who don't know who that is, I highly recommend you check out the story One Good Turn Deserves Another. It's under my favorites and any fan of the Jaune x Blake pairing is missing out by not reading this. Heck, even if it isn't your favorite pairing you're missing out. Go read it anyways.

Some things about this chapter. Pyrene is a colorless chemical commonly used in making dyes, so that's where their team name came from. Also, I've finally used the title in the story. Only took me seven chapters, but I got here. I'm also obviously taking a big step away from Canon now. Not that I had exactly clung too closely to it to begin with, but I digress. I like the original show quite a bit and don't really want to step on its toes by keeping the same location and same bad guys. Grimm are obviously going to be a big focus but I'll also have some human antagonists seeing as they tend to be a little more interesting and less repetitive than mindless super creatures.

Next time: The teams arrives at Lambent, but Weiss is in for a surprise when she recognizes the one running it.


	3. Lambent

**Auburn**

 _Chapter 8 - Arrival_

* * *

Blake stared quietly out the window of the airship that was taking them to Lambent with mild curiosity.

The landscape was so different than anything she was ever used to seeing. While she had grown up outside the protection of the kingdoms she had almost always been surrounded by the forest. Out here in the badlands though...there were hardly any trees. Those she could see were dead or on the verge of death. Then again the whole land looked dead. Long stretches of nothing but dirt as far as the eye could see was sometimes her only view. The occasional bubbling swamp, rocky hill, or gouging chasm were the only other landmarks even worth mentioning. Even those seemed mundane to her.

If there was one thing that wasn't dead out here though, it would be the Grimm. She had never seen so many of them in her life. It wasn't just the high number of them that was surprising either. It was the numerous different types. She thought she knew quite a bit about Grimm species but there were several out here she had never even heard rumors of. That was a terrifying thought. Were there Grimm out there that humankind had no knowledge of? Maybe it was better that they didn't. Humans clearly weren't meant to come out this far to begin with.

Yet here she was, about to spend the next couple years of her life wandering this horrid landscape as she slaughtered the hellspawn she was currently thinking about. She shook her head and tore her gaze away from the window. Best not to think about it. Instead she turned her attention to the other occupants of the ship.

Naturally, her attention fell on the boisterous Professor Port first. He was...not what she expected. The Hunters and Huntresses she always visualized and tried to emulate were humble beings. They were people that bared the weight of humanity on their shoulders and asked for nothing in return. Port was anything but that. For the past six hours he had talked nonstop about his exploits on the field. And when she said nonstop, she meant it. At first his stories had been mildly entertaining and the slightest bit interesting. Now it was just ridiculous.

Maybe if everyone had stopped paying attention he would have finally stopped. Unfortunately, Pyrrha was too polite to dismiss their overzealous Professor and Weiss too much of a suck-up. Both of their faces had strained smiles as they attempted to look even the smallest bit interested in his ramblings.

She couldn't bear to look any longer and shifted to the other side of the room. Ren was attempting to meditate on a seat near the corner as far away from Port as possible. The reason Blake said 'trying' was because on either side of him were Nora and Yang and they were playing patty-cake right over the poor boys head. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with them? She sighed and turned to her last two teammates.

Jaune did not handle airships well. He'd spent his first hour trying and failing not to puke his guts out. She and Ruby had hung comfortingly over him until he had near literally puked himself dry. The whole thing had left him so exhausted he had leaned back against a chair and had passed out almost immediately. Ruby, who had helped him into the chair fell asleep next to him.

Now they slept up against one another. Ruby's head was using his shoulder for support and his head was leaned on top of her's. It was cute...in a sibling kind of way.

Blake grimaced as the last part of that thought circled her head. That had been happening a lot this past week. Whenever Jaune and Ruby hung out in particular. She hated to admit it, but it was getting harder and harder to deny it at the same time. She was...jealous. Damn, that sounded really bad.

She had never expected to feel this emotion in her life. Jealousy was something those sleazy schoolgirls in her romance novels felt when the man they loved was spending time with another woman. The difference here was, she didn't love Jaune. Well, she didn't love him romantically. He was her best friend. Okay, he was her only friend. Maybe it was fine that she felt jealous when Jaune spent time with others then? After all, if she wasn't hanging out with him she wasn't hanging out with anyone. She would just be reading a book in a library. So she would naturally be jealous of someone that was taking away her only source of human companionship. Even if that person was another man such as Ren.

Not that Ren and Jaune had ever spoken a word to one another to begin with. That wasn't to say Jaune hadn't tried. He had made several attempts to initiate conversation with the only other male member of their two teams over the past week. The problems were Ren was far too introverted and was constantly guarded by his obnoxious childhood friend. Poor Jaune never made it past Nora.

Blake had thought several times of offering to distract Nora so Jaune could finally have a chance to sit down with him. Thinking and actually doing were two different things though and Blake never actually even tried. Maybe she really was jealous of anyone that tried to befriend him? Or vice-versa in this case.

Maybe she should make an effort to help him out after all? What was the worst that could happen if Jaune and Ren started hanging out? They didn't exactly have a ton in common. Maybe they started training together. After several weeks of this, their bond would grow closer and closer as they helped one another ascend to new heights. One day after training, they would lay on the grass and watch the stars together. Confide in one another their darkest secrets. Then they would decide to head to the men's shower room to wash out all the sweat and dirt accumulated during their training. While in there they would look at one another, no longer any clothes separating the two of them.

Blood trickled down her nose and she had to quickly wipe it away before someone noticed. Yeah, she couldn't allow the two of them to hang out. Not that she thought Jaune swung that way, but better for the safety of her imagination. The last thing she needed was the image of their two faces whenever she read Ninjas of Love. She would never be able to look Jaune in the face again.

Speaking of which, Jaune wasn't exactly doing a good job of meeting her eyes lately either. He seemed really...off. Ever since this whole thing had been announced it seemed like something was chewing at him internally. At first Blake assumed it was just because he thought she was still mad at him.

She had been rather ticked about his decision to make Weiss second-in-command. If she were being honest she was still a little angry about it actually. She also understood why he did it now too. Jaune was just trying to keep them all united. Their very lives depended on it and as the leader he felt responsible for that. So with great reluctance Blake decided to accept what had happened. She had told Jaune she would follow him and that sometimes meant going along with decisions she didn't like after all. It sucked being so rational. It would be so much easier to just throw a tantrum until she got her way from time to time like Weiss did.

Despite her frustration over it all, she had forgiven him and had told him as much. His relief when she did was palpable and it looked like one giant weight had been lifted off his shoulders...only for another to remain in its place. When she pressed him about it he had only claimed that he was nervous about going to Lambent. That certainly made sense. He wasn't qualified to go to Beacon to begin with. To be sent to a school with an even stricter requirement was bound to add some pressure. Heck, even she could feel some of it. They were out in the middle of nowhere for crying out loud! As much sense as it made though she couldn't help but feel that he wasn't giving her the full truth.

Naturally she suspected Weiss next. When she confronted the heiress about it she claimed she had no idea. She recounted the full extent of their conversation in Ozpin's office for her and said Jaune had seemed perfectly fine, relieved even, after everything had been resolved. Although she had no idea what Ozpin had wanted to talk to Jaune alone about. Jaune wouldn't talk about that either. Maybe that was it then? Its not like she had any other leads to go off of. Not that she could confront Ozpin about it either now that they had left Beacon. She just had to hope that whatever it was it wouldn't affect his judgement in the field. At least until he was ready to talk about it.

If they hadn't already spilled their secrets to one another once before Blake might have thought about prying him a little further. If Jaune was hiding something now though...it was probably because he thought he was protecting them. If it ever became too much of a burden for him though she would be here to listen when he needed someone to tell. That was her job as his best friend.

"Alright everyone-" Ironwood's voice came over the intercom. "-we'll be at Lambent in fifteen minutes. Get your gear ready and prepare for drop-off." The intercom switched off and Blake got to her feet. Port had finally quit talking and a relieved Pyrrha and Weiss got away from him as quickly as possible lest he resume. Ren had also made his way over to his pack while Nora followed him. Yang was making her way towards Jaune and Ruby with a sinister smile on her face.

Uh oh. Blake had one of three options. She could quickly wake up Jaune and Ruby. She could intercept Yang and tell her to back off. Or she could just sit back and let whatever happens happen. Seeing as the first two had a chance of ending in conflict her choice was more or less already made for her. It's not like she wasn't a little curious either.

Yang stopped in front of the two of them and pulled her scroll out, first taking a quick photo. Once that was done she put it away and cracked her knuckles as she prepared to give them probably the most rude awakening either of them would ever experience. Blake was starting to have second thoughts. Maybe she should stop her after all?

"Yang, stop whatever it is that you're thinking." Fortunately she didn't have to as Pyrrha stepped in between her partner and the two.

"Come on, Pumpkin Cereal!" Yang and her nicknames again. "Just a little prank? They're too adorable not to!"

"It's probably not a good idea." Blake finally decided to intervene herself. "If you work Jaune up too much he's likely to start barfing again. I'm sure none of us want to arrive at our new home covered in vomit." Yang's smile twisted in horror as she thought about the likelihood of what Blake just said. If memory served correct, it wouldn't be the first time Jaune had done something like that to her.

"Fine!" Yang took a couple steps back before spinning around and making her way to her pack. "Couple of sticks in the mud." Blake's enhanced hearing heard her grumble.

"I'm sorry about her." Pyrrha looked remorseful even though she hadn't done anything wrong. Blake kind of understood the sentiment of taking responsibility for your partner though.

"Don't worry about it." She turned to Jaune and Ruby. "We do need to wake them up."

"Ah, yes." Pyrrha nodded and turned to them too before hesitating. Blake looked at her curiously. It looked like she wanted to say something but was either too embarrassed or not sure how to word it. They didn't exactly have a lot of time for things like this. They were nearing their destination after all.

"What is it?" Blake prodded her gently. Pyrrha looked up at her in surprise which caused Blake to smirk. "Jaune makes the same expression when he's trying to think of what to say."

Pyrrha's expression shifted to one of trepidation which only made Blake more curious. "What's it like being partnered with him?"

"With Jaune?" Of all the things she had been expecting Pyrrha to ask that had not even come close to the top.

Pyrrha nodded. "I'm going to be a little forward with you. I wanted to partner with him before the initiation began. My plan was to find him the moment we had been given our instructions on how to form our partners. I had saw where he had fallen and ran that way."

"O-oh?" Forward indeed. Blake wasn't used to dealing with such a blunt confession.

"I must sound weird, right? I had only just met him in the locker rooms just before but he had left a rather powerful impression." She was right about sounding weird. Blake's initial impression of Jaune was anything but positive. He had run out to protect her from the King Taijitu and had nearly gotten himself killed. Blake had thought about just abandoning him before making eye-contact it had been so pathetic. The expression of dejection on his face before she did just that had caused her to stay.

It was only with great reluctance she came back after him. Had she not done that, would this girl be his partner instead? It was kind of pointless to think things like that now. Point was, she was his partner. "Being his partner is exhausting. I'm constantly forced to look out for him. He does have his moments of reliability though and I'm indebted to him in more ways than I can count. It's an interesting experience to say the least, being partnered with Jaune Arc."

Pyrrha contemplated what she said for a moment before nodding. "Thank you. I was just a little curious is all. I'm not disappointed with my partner or anything. She's incredibly talented and for all her pranks she has a good heart."

"..." Blake simply nodded. She wasn't sure what else to say after that. This whole conversation was rather awkward. Pyrrha seemed to be thinking the same thing and patted her lightly on the shoulder before leaning in to wake the other two up.

"Jaune. Ruby. We're almost there. We need to get ready." Ruby began to stir first and attempted to lift her head. It nudged Jaune's up in the process and he was startled awake too.

"Wha- huh?" He groaned as he took in his surroundings. His eyes focused in on Pyrrha who was still leaned directly in front of him. Rather, his eyes focused in on the view Pyrrha was giving him of her cleavage. His face got incredibly red very quickly and Blake decided to clear her throat. His eyes shot off Pyrrha and looked up to her in horror. His mouth opened and closed several times as he tried and failed to form an excuse.

"Are you feeling okay? You're not still sick are you?" Pyrrha was for better or worse oblivious to the generous view she was already given him and leaned in closer to place a hand on his forehead.

"That's enough right there." Blake grabbed Pyrrha's elbow and pulled her back a little harder than she intended.

"W-what?" Pyrrha asked in shock as she stumbled backwards and away from the both of them. Blake couldn't help but glare at her revealing armor.

"Are they fighting about something?" Blake's bow twitched as she heard Ruby whisper fearfully into Jaune's ear. Apparently they were both awake now.

She let out a long sigh as she calmed herself down. She needed to run damage control quick lest someone get suspicious. "Sorry. I thought he looked ready to throw up. I was just trying to get you out of the way." That was a lie but it sounded convincing enough to her.

"Oh. Well thank you." Pyrrha relaxed herself and smiled gratefully back at her. It made Blake feel a little guilty but it was better than admitting she had another flash of jealousy. Seriously, she needed to make other friends.

"So what's going on?" Ruby asked, probably curious as to why she was woken up. She had looked pretty comfortable while asleep so it made sense.

"Get your stuff. We're almost there." Ruby was on her feet almost immediately at Blake's words and happily skipped to her stuff. She was treating this whole thing like one big field trip. Jaune got up a little more sluggishly and his face paled as he appeared to realize where he was. She wasn't sure if it was the airship making him sick or because they were nearly there. Probably both.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder and hooked Crocea Mors to his belt. Most of their personal belongings had been sent ahead and should already be waiting for them when they arrived. It was just basic survival gear that they carried on them just in case their ship was attacked on they way and they ended up stranded in the badlands. Fortunately they hadn't run into any large avian Grimm. She had no doubt they were out here either.

"Hey." Blake spoke as she walked up next to Jaune and placed a comforting hand on his back. "You going to be okay?"

"I think so." Jaune rubbed his stomach tenderly as he spoke. "I don't think I have anything left to puke at least."

"I wasn't just talking about that." He looked up at her in confusion and she gave him a reassuring smile. "Whenever you're ready to talk about it I'm willing to listen. Just...promise me you're not thinking of quitting again."

"I really can't hide much from you, can I?" He gave her a mirthful smile.

"You do show your expressions pretty readily on your face."

He sighed but kept smiling anyways. "Trust me, I couldn't drop out even if I wanted to. I can't tell you what it is right now and it might turn out to be nothing anyways. I'll tell you as soon as I can." Blake nodded and stood straight up. It wasn't much but at least she knew he was willing to talk a little about it. "And Blake." She looked back to him as he stood up too. "Thanks buddy."

Before she could respond the intercom crackled back on. "We're here. I'm opening the back hatch so prepare to jump. Good luck and remember, I'm expecting great things."

"Jump? I thought he would at least touch this thing down." Jaune grumbled just as the hatch began to open and wind billowed in. It was no secret that Jaune hated heights and his weapon didn't exactly give him a way to slow his descent.

"Come on. I'll help you." Blake grabbed his shoulder as they walked forward. The others were right behind them as they walked to the edge. Blake couldn't see Lambent so it must have been behind them. What she could see were dozens of Grimm as they roamed the jagged land ahead of them. This was going to be their next two years, constantly surrounded by these things. She took a deep breath and then jumped, pulling Jaune along with her.

* * *

Jaune sighed in relief as the drop down was only half a dozen meters. It was more than short enough for his aura to comfortably absorb the blow for him without any of the annoying numbness that came after. "That wasn't so bad." He grinned to his partner and she patted him lightly on the shoulder in agreement.

One at a time the others all landed next to them ending with Professor Port. Once they were on the ground, the airship began rising higher into the sky as it prepared to leave. Jaune turned to watch it go and the realization that this was really happening settled in. No turning back now. Although he had lost the chance to turn back long before this. With a reluctant sigh he turned to look at what would be his new home for the next two years.

Half a kilometer ahead of them was the giant metal tower called Lambent. It looked incredibly out of place here. It's silver surface gleamed brightly as it reflected the sunlight and gave it a glowing effect that was accentuated by all the dead earth around it. Now that Jaune paid attention, they were standing on a small hill that formed probably a kilometer large ring around Lambent, placing it in a type of giant crater. He wondered if this formation was natural or artificial. It looked like it could go either way.

"That...is a lot of Grimm." Yang whistled and Jaune finally noticed the most important thing between them and the academy. There were easily a hundred Boarbatusk barring their path at the moment. Fortunately, none of them had really taken notice of them yet. Most of them were glaring at Lambent while a couple others were butting heads with one another.

"Why haven't they cleared them out? Surely they knew we were coming." Weiss stamped her feet as she glared at Port for answers.

"Why, I imagine this a special welcome to the school! It only seems fitting to fight Grimm on your way into an academy that is going to teach you how to effectively do that. Why I remember what I had to do in my day-" Jaune immediately tuned the boisterous professor out and narrowed his eyes as he looked for the path of least resistance. If they were going to have to fight, so be it. The quicker they did the better. There were thousands of other Grimm behind them too.

"What's the plan, boss?" Ruby mock-saluted and grinned at him. The motion made him smile a little. He could get used to being called that.

"Those things look pretty tough. Do they have any kind of weakness?" He turned to Weiss.

Weiss looked surprised that he was talking to her for a second before recovering and going into her typical heiress-mode (as he liked to call it). "Boarbatusk are incredibly sturdy Grimm but they have almost no armor on their stomach. If we're going to have any hope of killing them we should aim for that."

"Sounds simple enough." Jaune rubbed his chin as he thought of their best plan. "We should break off into pairs. Weiss and I will go together and Blake and Ruby will make the other."

"Wouldn't it be better if we stayed with our partners?" Blake voiced in concern.

"You nor I exactly have a way to knock these things onto their backs." Jaune clarified his reasoning. "Ruby's scythe is capable of getting under them and Weiss has her glyphs. They'll expose their weak point while it'll be up to you and me to finish them. That's probably the best way to fight while moving." Blake frowned for a second as she considered his words before nodding. At least he could count on her to be rational. "Does that sound good to you?" He once again addressed Weiss.

"It'll do." Weiss pulled out her weapon and took a spot next to him. "Just please don't pull a stunt like you did with that Nevermore. I do not want to have to bail us out of danger again."

He smirked at her. "You got it Snow-" A pointed glare from her made him stop mid-sentence. She really, really hated that nickname. He cleared his throat. "Right. Be sure to pick the path of least resistance. The point of this is to get there as quickly as possible."

"Aww…" Ruby groaned. Knowing her she had wanted to kill as many as possible.

"Not a bad idea, Captain Atlas. We're going to borrow it." Yang called as PYRN appeared to be readying themselves for action as well.

"What about you, Professor?" Pyrrha asked and they all turned to look at the Grimm studies teacher behind them.

"I'll follow just behind you children. No need to worry." He planted his axe-blunderbuss-combo-weapon at his feet as he spoke. "Now show me what you've got!"

"Right!" They all nodded and sprinted towards the Grimm and towards Lambent.

As they neared their enemies, Weiss fell into line right next to Jaune. "Thank you." She spoke just loud enough for him to hear.

He glanced at her in confusion and saw that she refused to make eye-contact with him. "For what?"

Weiss scowled before sighing. "For actually treating me as your second-in-command. I honestly didn't think I'd have to spell that out for you." Her gratitude for something like that confused him even more. He was going to have to worry about it later though. They were on their first Grimm.

The boarbatusk squealed in anger as they ran up to it. The others were alerted and dozens of angry red eyes turned to glare at them. For the first time in over a week Jaune felt the fear of death grip him again. Once more he was staring the horrible creatures hellbent on his species very destruction dead in the face with the intention of combating them. The first time this had happened he had frozen up and barely managed to move at all. This time was different though. Now he had both experience and some training.

Instead of the fear causing his legs to freeze and lock up he felt them burn with adrenaline and his speed hastened. Instead of his eyes going blurry his vision became sharper and every detail became clear. He could do this! He had to do this! Blake hadn't spent all week training him for nothing.

"Jaune! Get ready!" Weiss pulled her rapier back and lunged forward even faster than they were already going. The boarbatusk didn't even have a chance to react as she struck it hard in the side and one of her white glyphs formed on impact. It launched the Grimm sideways and into the air exposing its stomach for him to see.

This was it! It was time to put everything Blake had been drilling into him to the test. With a loud cry of exertion he kicked off the ground and leapt forward. Time appeared to slow as he and the boarbatusk hung suspended in the air. His arm swung around as the Grimm could only flail helplessly as he closed in on it. The sound of metal eating into flesh reached his ears and blood squirted from the wound he gouged. He raised his shield to protect his eyes and mouth from the splatter. The boarbatsuk cried in pain as his sword completed its work and suddenly time returned to normal.

He hit the ground running without losing a hitch in his step and heard the Grimm collapse dead behind him. He didn't bother turning around to look at it. Instead he focused directly ahead.

"Not bad." Weiss nodded as they sprinted past another four boarbatusk that hadn't seemed to fully grasp what had just happened.

"Thanks." He grinned to himself. He had done it! Now just to keep it up until they made it to the tower. Another boarbatusk in front of them charged directly at them and Weiss skipped ahead to meet it head on. Once again her glyph sent it airborne and once again he successfully cut its stomach open.

He spared a glance at the other teams to see them all slightly ahead of them. Ruby swung her scythe in beautiful arcs that managed every time to grip the boarbatusk by the tusks. At one time she had somehow managed to launch three of them well over her head. Blake vanished from the ground and appeared next to each one like a shadow and cut them down.

Yang met the deadly creatures head on with her fists, sending them flying backwards as her gauntlets discharged a dust shell directly into their face. Pyrrha merely took aim and shot the Grimm right in the heart without even breaking stride.

Nora slammed her hammer into the ground and knocked six into the air simultaneously just from the blowback. Her partner, Ren, didn't even appear fazed as he jumped after them and sliced them apart in one fluid motion.

"Jaune!" Weiss called for his attention and he turned to see she had knocked two into the air this time.

"On it!" He sprinted forward and sliced open the one before pivoting and stabbing the other. He spun in a complete circle and fell back into line with her. Not once had they stopped running forward in all this and more than a dozen of the Grimm were behind them now. This was almost too easy! Compared to all the times he had nearly been eaten, mauled, buried, skewered, splattered, suffocated, blown up, sliced into bits, and incinerated during his Beacon initiation this was nothing. Maybe a little training was all he ever really needed?

He was so caught up in these thoughts that the sound of dirt being kicked up from behind reached his ears almost too late. He spun around just in time to see several of the boarbatusk had curled into balls and were rolling at them with incredible velocity. The closest one was on a direct collision course with Weiss.

"Weiss! Look out!" He turned hard and jumped directly in between the two. He brought his shield up just in time for the Grimm to smash into it. The force of the spinning Grimm pushed him back despite his best efforts to lock his feet into the ground. Instead he only left two foot-sized trails as it continually pushed him back farther and farther. He grit his teeth and pushed back but to no avail. His arm was starting to seize in pain just from trying to hold his shield up as the boarbatsuk's roll threatened to disarm him at any second.

"Hold on!" Weiss called as if he wasn't already doing just that. She ran around and thrust the spinning Grimm from the side. Her attack knocked it over and onto its back where it struggled to get up. She stepped forward and stabbed it in the heart. She then turned to the others to give warning. "Look out behind you! They're charging!" The other six reacted to her words in time to dodge their own rolling adversaries. Weiss was still looking at the others though and failed to see another two rolling right at them.

Without thinking Jaune leapt forward and shoved her out of the way. The next Grimm was on him and he held his shield up and at an angle. It clipped it and skirted past him without doing more than throwing him off balance. Without being able to maintain his footing though he wasn't able to take a proper stance to protect himself from the next boarbatusk. He did the only thing he could think of and jumped.

Unfortunately it wasn't nearly high enough and the Grimm clipped him in the ankle. The world became a blur as he was sent spiralling out of control through the air. He lost his grip on both his shield and sword and heard them clatter to the ground some distance away before his vision flashed white.

"Jaune!" He heard several voices overlap and let out a small groan. He must have landed on his left shoulder because his whole arm was completely numb from the pain that he was feeling everywhere else. His vision focused back in after only a second and he attempted to stagger to his feet. Putting even the littlest pressure on his right foot caused him to gasp in pain and he suspected it was twisted, if not broken. Add that to the fact that his left arm only dangled uselessly at his side and it made getting to his feet a near impossible task.

He struggled to do so anyways before stumbling back down and his face met the hard dirt beneath him. Great, this just looked pathetic. Without a doubt Blake and Ruby were running to bail him out at this very moment. Weiss was likely holding off the other boarbatusk and keeping them from running him over. The people inside the tower were probably monitoring everything that was happening and would undoubtedly see how much of a failure he was. They would probably have their suspicions about someone like him making it into their program. If they looked into him too much it would be impossible for him to spy for Ozpin. If he failed him, he was for sure exposed. Damn it! Just when he had been starting to feel a little bit confident in himself too.

Wait a minute...what if his aura could heal him? Blake had said that it was only supposed to be good for healing small nicks and bruises but she also said his aura was unusually large and seemed much more adept at healing than normal. She even suspected his semblance might have something to do with healing. Not that they really had a chance to test that theory out. Still, his aura had helped him survive a point blank explosion once before, why not a twisted ankle and numb arm?

He looked deep inside of himself just as Blake had taught him and found what she called "the light of his soul." He pleaded with it to aide him. He willed it to fix his arm and leg. To allow him to continue fighting alongside his teammates. He was still new to this aura thing and didn't know how else to manipulate it other than ask.

To his incredulous relief, he felt a soothing feeling wash over his wounds and his body began glowing yellow as his aura became visible to do its work. In nothing more than a couple seconds he felt good as new and climbed to his feet without issue. He stared at his hands for a minute as his aura vanished. Once it was gone he turned back to the chaos that was going on around him.

"Jaune!" Blake was nearly to him. Weiss and Ruby were holding back the Grimm for them.

"I'm fine." He smiled at her as she slowed to a stop. Blake opened her mouth to berate him but stopped as she looked him over. He lightly dusted himself off and twisted his feet in demonstration. "See? No worries."

"Your aura?" She asked curiously as she lightly prodded the arm he had fallen on. He opened his mouth to respond but Weiss cut him off.

"We can't hold these things off forever! If you're fine we need to get moving!" He turned to see a small pile of Grimm corpses in front of Ruby and Weiss but they were being pushed back by their relentless onslaught.

"She's right." Jaune patted Blake on the shoulder before running to retrieve his shield and sword. Once he had them he turned back to the others. "Come on! Let's go!"

Ruby and Weiss killed one more Grimm before turning to sprint. Blake followed immediately after and only once they all passed him did Jaune follow. At least another dozen of the Grimm were in front of them but before they got anywhere near them they were blasted by a series of dust bullets. Jaune flicked his attention a little farther ahead to see PYRN had passed all the Grimm and stood about twenty-five meters from the tower and were now giving them coverfire.

"Hurry!" Pyrrha waved them to continue forward and they did just that. They sprinted directly past all the Grimm now and allowed PYRN to take care of them from a distance. It only took them half a minute to reach them.

"You took quite the fall out there!" Yang grinned broadly at Jaune as he stopped next to her.

"It just looked bad." He gestured behind them. "Is there a reason we stopped here? The Grimm are still coming."

"Just watch." Yang stared at the Grimm without a worry in the world despite the fact that they were getting dangerously close. Once the Grimm got about five meters away Jaune heard something fire off from above and behind him. Beams of red streaked over his head and struck the charging Grimm. They burst into flames and ceased any movement the moment the beams made contact.

"The hell was that?" Jaune spun around to see small cannons that were still smoking from having been fired.

"It's a dust powered anti-Grimm laser defense system. They're still testing those!" Weiss exclaimed, apparently just as shocked to see them as he was.

"I'm guessing the Schnee Dust Company is the one developing that?" Blake slipped Gambol Shroud away and relaxed her stance now that they were safe.

Weiss nodded. "Last I heard they were still developing a way for them to safely target Grimm without reacting to any other signs of life. If I had to guess I'd say these ones are programmed to react to any Grimm that gets within thirty meters. I can only imagine the amount of dust it takes to effectively utilize those."

"Effective is the right word. Those Grimm got turned to pork barbeque." Yang licked her lips as she stared at the charred creatures ahead of them.

"Hey, hey Ren! Can you eat Grimm?" Nora seemed a little too ecstatic at the idea for Jaune's taste.

"No Nora. I don't think you can."

"Perhaps we should head inside?" Pyrrha indicated back towards Lambent. "We can continue this discussion there."

"What about Professor Port?" Ruby reminded them all that they had been forgetting about something.

"I don't think we need to worry about him." Blake pointed back towards the field just as an explosion from Professor Port's blunderbuss sent at least a dozen of the boarbatusk into the sky. Port leaped through the air at them and every swing of his axe tore one of them in half. He made short work of more Grimm in a matter of seconds than all eight of them had managed to do combined their whole sprint over.

"I guess his stories weren't just him blowing hot air after all." Yang whistled as she watched him work. Jaune had to agree. He was going to start paying more attention whenever this man started one of his ramblings...at least for the first five minutes. He couldn't promise much longer than that.

In no time at all Port landed in front of them and hefted his weapon over his shoulders. "Excellent work children! Most excellent indeed! Now let us proceed!" He walked past them and they all followed immediately after with a little more respect for him than they previously had.

As they approached the base of Lambent, Jaune had to stretch his neck to look straight up and even then couldn't see the top of the tower giving it a much more powerful impression from this close up. It was almost intimidating to think he would be living here for at least the next two years of his life. Well, provided he didn't die anyways.

They stopped in front of a pair of sliding doors which remained unmoving for several moments before finally parting with a loud hiss to let them in. As they all stepped into the brightly lit hallway of their new home they came face to face with a man Jaune had never seen before, yet he looked oddly familiar. He heard Weiss let out a small gasp from next to him and he immediately made the connection.

"Glad to see you all made it." The man was dressed almost entirely in white; From his pants to his leather jacket and even his boots. The katana that hung off his waist was also sheathed in white. His slicked-back white hair stood in stark contrast to his more tan skin complexion. "My name is Shirou. Shirou Schnee. I am the headmaster here." Several eyes darted to Weiss at once.

She cleared her throat and made her way to the front of the group. "It's good to see you again...uncle." She gave a small curtsy while she addressed him. "I had no idea it was you who would be running Lambent. The documents on that were rather...vague."

The man chuckled as he stepped forward and directly in front of Weiss. He towered at least two full heads over her. "Yes, well you can thank your father for that. He didn't want to be seen as involved with this academy for several personal reasons. For his sake we hid the fact that his younger half-brother was the one running it."

"I understand. A little heads-up to me would have at least been appreciated however." Weiss huffed and glared at the taller man in front of her.

"And miss the surprise on the face of my favorite niece?" He reached his hand forward and patted her hair. If it was possible her glare got even sharper. "Ah, I'd forgotten that you lack a sense of humor. Definitely your father's girl."

He walked past her and smiled at the rest of them before stepping up to Pyrrha and extending a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Nikos. Your transcripts looked very promising."

"T-Thank you, Professor Schnee." Pyrrha mumbled awkwardly as she took his hand and shook it.

"Please, just call me Shirou." He waved his hand and gave a disarming grin and stepped up to Yang. "Good to meet you Miss Xiao Long."

"You...don't act much like a Schnee." Yang shook his hand even as she tried to lean away from him.

"Bah, all those formalities are far too troubling." He stepped up to Nora and shook her hand next to which she only enthusiastically returned. "Miss Valkyrie." He greeted quickly. "Besides, I'm only half Schnee. That means I only need to act like one half of the time." He finished saying that while shaking Ren's hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

Then he turned to the remaining members of AWBR and Jaune tensed up in fear. This man was anything but what he expected him to be. The way Ozpin described the situation it sounded like some kind of megalomaniac was running this place. Maybe it wasn't really so bad after all? Then again if experience had taught Jaune anything it was the more harmless and inviting something appeared the more dangerous it usually was. He wasn't about to drop his guard around this guy.

"Miss Rose. You're quite the prodigy. It must be hard on you being partnered up with my niece." He was already up to them and shaking Ruby's hand.

"Hey! I'm right here!"

"Nah, she's not too bad." Ruby tilted her head and grinned brightly at her partner who only folded her arms and humphed. Shirou laughed at the interaction and moved onto Blake.

"The mysterious Miss Belladonna. That is a cute bow you have on." Blake didn't say anything as she shook his hand and only stared with eyes that appeared to be assessing the man in front of her. Jaune wondered if she was thinking along the same lines he was.

Finally, he stopped in front of Jaune but paused as he glanced him up and down. The action made Jaune nervous and he couldn't help but wonder why of all of them he was the one being inspected. "You took quite the hit out there from that boarbatusk, Mr. Arc. Very few people ever get back up after being struck down by one of them. You either have an impressive aura or incredible luck." So he was just checking him over for injuries? He really hoped that's all it was. He didn't need to appear on this guys radar so soon.

"I just have a good team is all." Jaune replied simply and Shirou finally extended his hand.

As Jaune grabbed it he spoke again. "A good team is nothing without its leader. Be sure to remember that." Despite the seriousness of his words he said them almost as if he was just joking around. Jaune tried looking into his eyes to see which it was but wasn't able to get anything from them due to the fact that he kept them closed throughout the entire exchange.

"I'll be sure to do that." Jaune replied awkwardly as he pulled his hand away.

"That's good to hear. Now that introductions are out of the way, allow me to be the first to give you all these words." He straightened his posture and took a couple steps back. With a big flourish of his arms he bowed deeply before them.

"Welcome to Lambent."

* * *

 **AN:** Couple quick things. Shirou is Japanese for White (as I understand it) so that's where his name comes from. He has no other similarities what-so-ever to Emiya from FSN, although I do love that VN and draw on it for inspiration. Initial impressions of him? I was hesitant when creating this story to use an OC but it ended up being inevitable seeing as I needed someone to run Lambent and I did at least try to connect him to one of the main cast. There'll be more on him next chapter.

Thanks again to Coeur Al'Aran for continuing to BETA for me.

Next time the team settles into their new home and meet some of the other students they'll be attending with.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 9 - Meetings_

 _Beta: Coeur Al'Aran_

* * *

"If you would all follow me this way." Shirou Schnee indicated down the hall behind him and Jaune took the opportunity to glance down it quick as they all followed after him.

It was kind of weird. This tower was huge and he had expected to walk into a massive, open room right upon entering. Instead there was only a narrow hallway that led to another pair of sliding doors.

"Something on your mind, Mr. Arc?" Jaune looked back to Shirou to see him giving the same amused grin that seemed glued on his face. It was like everything looked like one big joke to him or something. It kind of freaked him out a little.

"I just expected this place to be more...spacious?" He wasn't really sure if that was the word he wanted or not but at the very least it got his point across.

Shirou nodded his head a couple times. "The next floor will be more what you're expecting. This floor here is more a last means of defense in case Grimm make it past our defense systems and actually break into the tower. They can't exactly do much if we trap them in here."

"Ah." Well that made sense to him at least. They were quite literally surrounded by them at all times. It might be inevitable that a couple of them make it past those lasers and knock the door down. "So this is the only way in and out?"

"Yes and no." Shirou stopped in front of the doors and pulled out a keycard that he held up to a small scanner. A small ding confirmed it and the doors slid open revealing a cylindrical elevator. "This elevator is directly in the middle of the tower. There are four hallways leading directly to it. That's four entrances with which you can choose to enter and exit from." He stepped inside and the others followed. It was quite accommodating and easily fit them all in it while still giving them enough room to not be invading one another's personal space.

He selected the fourth floor and the elevator slowly began taking them up. Jaune made a quick mental note of the number of floors. There were twenty of them and one sub-floor. Great, twenty-one floors he was going to have to scour over. Seriously, would it have killed Ozpin to assign someone else to help him with this crap? He wouldn't be doing this at all if Ozpin hadn't threatened to expose him for the fraud he was. That and one other secret that wasn't even his...

His eyes shifted to Blake. More specifically the bow that sat atop her head. How did Ozpin even know about that? Did it even matter? If Blake was exposed because of him she would never forgive him. That was the one thing he absolutely couldn't have. Kick him out of this school, throw him in jail, murder his dream, but betraying Blake was crossing the line. He owed her everything. She had taken someone worthless like him as her partner and was helping him realize his dream. As long as she stayed by him he could do anything.

"Jaune?" His eyes shifted off her bow and into her eyes which were looking at him curiously, probably wondering why he was staring.

He smiled awkwardly. "Hey."

"Hey?" She replied back questioningly.

"Get a room you two." Yang shook Jaune rather violently and he spun to see her giving him a really suggestive smile.

"Wha-no! It's not like that!" He shook his head fiercely and waved his hands defensively in front of himself. "I was just- what I mean is-"

"Yang! Leave Jaune alone!" Ruby ran up and clung to his arm. "He and Blake are partners. We don't try to say you're flirting with Pyrrha."

Yang responded by grabbing Pyrrha around the shoulders and pulling her over. "Oh? Are you trying to see me and my partner aren't intimate enough? I can show you just how close we are."

"Wh- what?" Pyrrha immediately tried to pull away as her face flushed nearly as red as her hair. "Yang! I'm flattered but I'm afraid I don't-"

"Oh! Don't worry so much about the details Pumpkin Cereal. I'm just proving a point." Yang reached her hand around and placed it on her cheek. Jaune shifted uncomfortably as he watched them get closer and closer to the one another. Before they could get too much farther, the elevator opened and Pyrrha broke free to all but bolt out the door. Yang had to hold her sides as she doubled over in laughter.

"I think you're the most amusing group of students I've met yet. It's a shame it hasn't rubbed off on Weiss yet. She needs to learn to have more fun."

"Hey!" Weiss glared at her uncle's back as he walked out into the open room. Jaune watched as she followed after him. He wasn't particularly close to Weiss, but she had been much less mean towards him since they had worked things out. Rather, now she didn't go out of her way to insult him and instead she just usually ignored his presence. He needed to talk to her about her uncle though. He knew nothing about the man that was running this school and she was his best bet on gaining some kind of insight.

"Feel free to take a seat anywhere you want." Shirou gestured to the numerous circular tables that were spread across the room. "You're of course free to mingle with the other students...not that any of them seem too interested in doing the same." Jaune finally noticed at least the sixty other people about his age that were seated throughout the room. They were separated into three other groups that he would guess were the three separate kingdoms. That made them the last group to arrive.

"Professor Port, if you'll come with me?" Shirou and Port walked off towards a group of other adults that Jaune could only assume were the other staff. Meanwhile, the rest of the group followed after Pyrrha as she claimed a table away from all the other students. Ruby disentangled herself from Jaune's arm and ran after them.

He took a couple steps out after them but paused again as he looked once more around the room, skimming its entire surface. There were no windows, a high ceiling and it was all made of the same metallic material as the outside of the building. The tables and small stage set up looked incredibly out of place in the otherwise empty room. He peeked around the other side of the elevator to see that side of the room completely bare. It was like the set-up was thrown together at the last second.

"Jaune?" He jumped at the unexpected voice and spun to see Blake had stayed behind with him while all the others were already seated. She raised an eyebrow at his odd behavior and his brain whirled as it attempted to form some kind of believable excuse. Who was he kidding? Nothing he said was going to convince Blake. For better or worse she already knew him well enough to recognize all his tics and habits. "Everyone is waiting."

To his surprise she didn't say anything about his behavior and simply nodded her head towards the others. He was both extremely relieved and immediately thankful. "Right." He straightened his stance and began walking towards the others. Blake followed silently after. She had been much more...understanding of his need to keep this secret than he expected her to be. Especially with how obvious he was being about it. He had no doubt she had ideas about what it was but she didn't dare pry. Instead she stood by his side and offered her silent support in whatever it may be.

Their groups were split up into two tables. Yang, Nora, and Ren were at one. Pyrrha wasn't sitting with them, probably still trying to keep herself away from her lecherous partner. Instead she sat at a table with Ruby and Weiss. The latter two sat together while Pyrrha sat one seat removed from Weiss.

"Hey Weiss." Jaune rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as he approached her. She turned and looked at him half-questioningly, half with her usual scowl. "Mind if I sit next to you? I wanted to ask you something."

She sighed and gestured to the chair next to her and he grinned happily. He had actually expected her to decline. He immediately pulled the chair out and then nodded to Pyrrha. "You don't mind either, right?"

Pyrrha grinned a little more widely than he expected to as she shook her head. "Not at all."

"Thanks." He dropped his backpack underneath the table and scooted into his seat. He noticed Blake begrudgingly take the seat next to Pyrrha at the same time.

"So what is it you needed to discuss?" Weiss was quick to the point as always. She hadn't even given him a chance to gather his thoughts. He probably should have had them gathered before he even got over here actually so maybe this was his bad.

"I just wanted to know about your uncle." Her eyes narrowed and he shifted backwards in fear. It was kind of apparent that her uncle was a sore subject but he couldn't give up here. He needed to do this. At least he thought he did. Hopefully Weiss could tell him things Ozpin already didn't know about him.

"What in particular do you need to know?" She asked after several seconds of silence.

"Well...everything, I guess. Let's start with that." Her eye twitched.

"You know 'everything' is a really broad term, right?" For some reason it sounded like she was trying really hard to be patient with him. He couldn't imagine why that was.

"Yeah I know. How about we just start from his birth and work our way chronologically from there? He's only...how old is he anyways?" Jaune glanced over at him and if he had to guess he would say was in his mid-twenties. That seemed really young to be running a place like this though.

"Are you just trying to irritate me? Cause if you are it's working." Weiss grabbed his ear and twisted.

"Ouch, no I'm being- ouch! Weiss cut it out!" She finally released his ear and he rubbed it as he eyed her fearfully.

"I'm also a little curious about him." Pyrrha offered as she glanced between the two of them. "What's he like?"

Weiss huffed and crossed her arms. "You've seen what he's like. Everything in the world to him is one big joke. He doesn't take anything seriously at all. All his life things have just been handed to him."

"That's not just your personal-bias talking is it?" Blake accused and Weiss turned on her. "Someone that doesn't take anything seriously surely wouldn't have been made the head of a school in the middle of Grimm territory. His skills must be exceptional beyond compare and that's not something you get without effort."

"You don't get it." Weiss leaned back in her chair and sighed in frustration. "That's exactly what I'm saying. His skill at cutting down Grimm...it's unnatural. My father has even said so. Ever since he could swing that sword of his he's been some sort of prodigy. I don't think he's ever faced a Grimm and thought he might die." Jaune definitely couldn't relate to that. Everytime he faced a Grimm he thought for sure he was dead. Was that why this guy instinctively sent off warning bells in his head? Was it because he sensed how different they were? "It was fortunate he had that talent though. He would never have been recognized as a legitimate heir to the company so becoming a Hunter was really the next best route for him to uphold the family honor. Even more so because his very existence is a stain upon it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaune asked that question so heatedly he surprised even himself. Something about the way she worded that had struck a nerve he'd rather not think about. He knew a little about what it was like to be a stain on the family name after all.

Weiss let out a long, drawn out sigh as she appeared to consider how to answer his question. "My grandfather was a great man. He hardly had a tarnish on his record while he ran the company. His integrity was almost without question...almost." She emphasized. "He had an affair with one of the mansion maids and Shirou was conceived. Grandfather had her sent away in an attempt to hide the fact. Shirou grew up in poverty the first ten years of his life until his mother caught an illness and died. Grandfather was so stricken by grief and believed himself to be the cause of her death that he came clean of the whole thing and brought Shirou into the main household."

"Naturally it caused an uproar but grandfather wouldn't be swayed. He pampered Shirou and catered to his every whim in some misguided attempt to right that wrong. I guess tensions were nearing a breaking point when they discovered his talent with the sword. It was agreed that he would start training to become a Hunter and the rest is history. He's now Atlas' most renowned swordsman. Its no wonder he was selected to run this school."

Silence followed as she finished her story for several seconds. "It sounds like you actually respect him quite a bit." Ruby was the first to respond.

Weiss' cheeks tinted with pink and she shifted her eyes so they wouldn't meet any of theirs. "Of course I do. I may not agree with his personality but he's still my uncle and an excellent Hunter."

"I think it's very nice."

"Thank you!" Weiss beamed brightly at Pyrrha's compliment. "Why couldn't you have been on my team?"

"Sorry none of us are up to your standard." Blake remarked dryly and immediately flustering the young heiress again.

"That right there is exactly the type of thing I'm talking about! You all give me such a hard time!" The girls continued their argument but Jaune wasn't listening to that much anymore. Instead he was staring into the green eyes of a girl that stood less than a meter from him who was smiling brightly back at him.

He didn't recognize her but she must have been about his age which made her a student from one of the other schools. Why she was over here though he had no idea. He was kind of hoping she would say something but she seemed perfectly content to just stand there and stare back at him. As weird as it was though he had to admit, she was kind of cute. He particularly liked the pink bow on the back of her head. It kind of reminded him of Blake's a little. Only it wasn't likely concealing anything beneath it.

"...Do you know her?" Pyrrha poked him lightly and he realized all the others had taken notice of the two of them staring at one another.

He quickly shook his head. "I've never seen her before." Despite the fact that he was now talking about her directly in front of her she didn't say anything. It was passing beyond just weird now. So he turned back to her. "Can...I help you?"

The girl tilted her head as she processed his question. "I don't believe so." She said after several seconds. "Do I look like I need help with something?"

"Mental help." Weiss grumbled under her breath.

"What are you doing over here?" Blake asked more directly.

The girl positively beamed at this question. "I came to introduce myself and meet the other students!"

That was all well and great but why hadn't she introduced herself yet then? Maybe she was feeling really awkward and didn't know how to properly do an introduction? Jaune immediately felt sympathy for the girl in front of him as he knew what it was like to be socially awkward. He cleared his throat and got to his feet. The least he could do was show her how it was done. "The name is Arc. Jaune Arc. All the ladies just call me handsome."

He heard several hands smack their owners in the face simultaneously but ignored it. The girl in front of him didn't appear phased at all and instead kept right on grinning back at him until giving a military salute. "Salutations! My name is Penny! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Handsome!"

If Yang could have taken a picture of all their faces at that moment, Jaune had no doubt she would have had a field day for weeks. Weiss broke into a fit of coughs so violent that he thought she might have been choking on her own lung. Ruby had jumped from her seat so quickly she knocked it over and looked absolutely lost at what to do now that she was standing. Pyrrha's mouth hung so far open it looked like her jaw had broke. Blake's face had reacted the least but even he was able to tell she was staring very heatedly at their newest acquaintance. His own face burnt in unrestrained embarrassment at having so casually been called that by this quirky girl.

"You are all behaving rather strangely." Penny remarked and Jaune had to wonder if she was being serious or this was all some elaborate prank.

"You're the one being strange!" Weiss all but shrieked as she finally managed to stifle her coughs.

Penny looked like she was replayed the full conversation in her head before she responded. "I introduced myself normally."

"It wasn't the introduction!" Weiss' continued to shriek before quietly muttering under her breath. "Although your introduction wasn't what I'd call normal either."

"You don't have to call him that, you know?" Blake was attempting to maintain a neutral expression but was failing very hard.

"He said all the ladies call him Handsome. Do you not believe I am a lady?" Rather than sounding offended she sounded more like she was afraid that they were onto her secret.

"What? No. How did you even come to that conclusion?" Blake dropped her facade as the frustration took over. It was actually pretty amusing. This was the first time Jaune had seen someone get to Blake like this; Someone not him or Weiss anyways. "You know what? Don't answer that." Blake stopped Penny before she could do just that.

If Penny had come to thrown them off their game she had certainly done a good job. Then again, was it possible she had come over here just to see him? She was staring right at him just a few moments ago. This whole thing kind of made it seem like she was flirting with him too. Was...was this finally his chance to get a date? Wait a second...how were you supposed to date someone out here? They were in the middle of nowhere. Slaying Grimm was hardly the most romantic thing two people could do with one another. Regardless, if this was his chance he wasn't about to lose out on it.

"So...Penny." Jaune gave the most suave grin he could muster and took a big step closer to her.

"Yes Handsome?"

"Stop calling him that!" Weiss and Blake yelled at the same time. He had never heard them so in sync before.

"What brings a cute lady like yourself all the way out here to Lambent?" He placed a hand on her shoulder but Penny showed no outward reaction to him invading her personal space. Maybe she really had taken a liking to him?

"Uncle Ironwood insisted that I have my training here in order to put my combat prowess to the test!" Penny flexed both arms as she answered but Jaune wasn't paying any attention to that. In fact, he had lost her after the first two words.

"Did-did you say...Uncle Ironwood?" He pulled his hand off of her and took a couple fearful steps backwards. "As in the big, scary, General of the Atlas military?"

Penny nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. That would be him." Okay...time to abort mission. No way in hell was he getting involved with a girl whose uncle could destroy him in more ways than he could imagine without any repercussions. Penny tilted her head questioningly at him. "Is something wrong, Handsome?"

"Nope! Nothing's wrong!" Jaune shook his head so violently he made himself dizzy. "You know what? How about you just call me Jaune? That's what all my friends call me." Penny's eyes widened and she stared at him in complete silence for what must have been thirty whole seconds. In that time, Jaune was beginning to fear he had really set her off now. Was she going to tell her uncle? He really hoped not. Sudden movement from Penny caused him to focus back in and he saw her approaching him quickly. She walked right up to him and he took another couple steps back in retreat.

He bumped into the table and Penny stopped less than a couple centimeters from him. He leaned back as far as he could but Penny leaned forward and stared into his eyes with an expression that meant nothing but business. "Are you saying-" He flinched at her voice. "-that you and I are friends?"

"Uhh…" Jaune had no idea how to answer that. He looked to the others for help but not one of them would even look in his direction. The traitors! He was on his own for this one. With great reluctance he turned back to Penny. "...yes?" He really wished that hadn't sounded like a question.

Her serious expression broke into a huge smile and she skipped backwards, finally giving him some breathing room. "Sensational!" She whooped as she hopped around and threw her hands into the air. "I'll compile a list of activities we can do together while here at Lambent! We shall spend everyday together for here on out." What the hell had he gotten himself into? He definitely couldn't say no but how the heck was he supposed to possibly find the time to search around this place if he had to make time for this new girl now too? It seemed like his schedule was getting more and more progressively packed at every turn.

Blake let out along sigh and rose from her seat. She walked to Penny who quit jumping around when Blake extended an open palm towards her. "It's nice to meet you Penny. My name is Blake Belladonna. I'm also Jaune's friend. I hope you'll let me partake in your…" She paused as she thought of the right words. "...friendship activities from now on as well." He could hug Blake right now. He knew she wouldn't leave him out to deal with this new weird girl on his own.

Penny grinned from ear to ear as she shook Blake's hand enthusiastically. "Of course! I believe the saying is the more the merrier! This is stupendous! I have now made two friends!"

"Wait just a second! If we're partaking in friendship activities with cute girls then count us in!" A new voice called and Jaune turned to see two guys approaching. They were both fairly distinct looking individuals too; One of them had blue hair and the other was clearly a monkey Faunus going by the swishing tail behind him.

"My name is Sun." The monkey Faunus introduced himself. "This cool dude next to me is Neptune."

"Sup?" Neptune gave a small salute with two fingers and winked at them.

"Why do more and more people keep coming over here?" Weiss may have been grumbling but he was pretty sure she was checking Neptune out.

"You guys are causing quite the commotion. The whole room can hear you guys you know?" Sun hiked his thumb towards the other teams and Jaune realized that they were indeed all staring off this way. Great, he was already in the center of attention. Normally he would have been thrilled but he was about as far removed from normally as he could get.

"You two wish to join us?" Penny was naturally drumming to her own beat and ignored the fact that everyone was looking at them.

"Totally." Neptune responded for them. "This makes it three guys and only two girls now though. What do you say Snow Angel? Care to be apart of this?" This guy had just dug his own grave. Weiss didn't forgive anyone that called her Snow Angel. Jaune wished him luck and waited for swift retribution to fall upon the poor, unsuspecting soul.

Instead he heard a girly giggle and to his complete and utter astonishment he turned to see it had come from Weiss. She was blushing and refused to meet Neptune's eyes. "I suppose I could fit it into my schedule." She played with her ponytail as she responded. What the hell was going on here? This Weiss was actually super-cute! If she acted like this more often and not like an Ice Queen he may have already fallen hopelessly in love with her. Not that she would've ever had him in the first place.

"No fair! Don't leave me out!" Ruby flailed her arms and stomped the ground in protest.

"You can join too. Don't worry. Penny has already said the more the merrier." He wasn't going to admit it but the more people the better it was for him as it was less likely Penny would single him out again. Just to be safe though… "Pyrrha. You are your team should join too."

The redhead looked surprised at his invitation for only a second before appearing absolutely elated. "That sounds grand! I'll be sure we're there."

"This is so exciting!" Penny looked like she might explode from joy. "I shall work my hardest to come up with a different activity for all of us every single day!"

"That sounds like a lot of work. Since there is so many of us how about we change it to once a week?" Blake offered helpfully. "It'll be much less work for you and now that you have so many friends you can still hang out with us individually in between classes." When the heck had she gotten so good at dealing with socially awkward people? Oh wait, probably from hanging out with him.

"That is a most wonderful idea! I shall compose a schedule so no one feels they are being given unequal time with me! I will get back with you all when it is complete!"

"You do that." Blake said as she took a couple steps away from all of them. "It's getting crowded over here. There's an empty table this way Jaune." She didn't wait for him to respond before walking off towards it.

"Right. Gotta go." He grabbed his bag and took a couple awkward steps backwards. "Nice meeting you Penny."

"It has been a pleasure friend!" Penny waved goodbye with her hand stretched out as far as she could above her head.

"Yes it has." He nodded apologetically to Ruby, Weiss, and Pyrrha before taking off after Blake.

"Thanks for the save." He sighed in relief as he plopped down in the seat next to her. The only response she gave him was a rough kick in the shin. "Ouch! What the hell?" He turned to see her glaring daggers at him.

"What are you thinking trying to pick up girls in the middle of Grimm territory?" Blake asked under her breath. "How exactly do you plan to take her on dates way out here away from civilization?"

Why the hell was Blake so mad about this whole thing? Was she afraid that he wasn't going to be taking his training with her seriously if he started dating someone? That kind of made sense to him. She was invested in keeping him alive after all they'd been through after all. "I admit that it wasn't my finest moment, but there is nothing wrong with trying to find true love when we're surrounded on all sides by despair. It kind of sounds like one of the plots to your sappy romance-books actually."

"First: Don't ever call my books 'sappy' again. They are works of literary genius that tactfully explore the depth of the human heart and soul while weaving intricate tales of love, loss, and betrayal. Second: Flirting with a girl you only met two seconds ago is hardly what I'd call true love."

"So you're a reader? That's pretty cool." For the second time in the past few minutes Sun interjected himself into one of Jaune's conversations. Not that he could say he minded. Both times they had been deteriorating for him rather quickly and he was thankful for the distraction. He glanced quickly back at the other table to see Neptune had stayed behind and was now conversing with Weiss and Pyrrha.

Sun pulled out the chair next to Blake and kicked his legs up onto the table. To Jaune's relief she turned her glare off of him to shift it to their newest tablemate. "Can I help you?" She must have been really irritated to talk to a near-complete stranger like that.

"Sure. You can tell me more about yourself." Sun's tail swished playfully as he gave her a broad grin. This guy was brave to keep his cool under her fierce stare. Jaune kind of wished he had the guts this guy did. When Blake glared at him like that he usually tried to run. Not that he ever got far.

"..." Perhaps it was because of his response but Blake didn't say anything to him at all. Instead she turned away from him and silently pulled a book out of her bag and flipped it open. She did have one more thing to say to Jaune before she started reading though. "We'll finish this conversation later." Great...

"That was a thrilling conversation right there." Sun tried to get a rise out of her but she didn't even look like she heard him. "Is she always like this?" He turned his question to Jaune.

"With most people, yes." Jaune had the distinct pleasure of being the only person he knew of that Blake was completely open with. Normally that was a good thing but like just now it also meant that when she was mad she let him know.

"What about you? Do you read much?" Jaune was surprised when Sun continued to talk to him. Was this finally his chance to make friends with someone not of the opposite gender? Not likely. Sun was probably trying to use him to get close to Blake. Kids back home used to do that to him all the time when trying to approach his sisters. It never worked out well for them.

"I'm more of a comic-book guy myself. I kind of doubt they have a good selection of those here though." Jaune was going to talk to him amicably anyways. It wouldn't hurt to get to know him and maybe Blake would actually warm up to him. She really needed to make some new friends but seemed perfectly content at keeping her friend-count down to solely him. Hopefully she understood he was partially doing this for her sake too.

Sun chuckled. "Yeah, probably not."

Jaune noticed his tail again and before he could help it he felt he had to ask about it. "What's it like having a tail?"

Sun gave a huge smile as his tail snaked around the chair and in front of Blake. "Want to touch it?"

"Can I?" Jaune asked excitedly as he began to reach for it. He had always wondered what a Faunus appendage felt like. He had gotten even more curious after finding out Blake was a Faunus but he didn't dare ask her. The subject was sensitive enough for her as it was and he didn't want to risk angering her. His hand got only a couple centimeters from the tail when Blake's grabbed him by the wrist.

Both boys looked to see her glaring at the spot where his hand and Sun's tail almost met. She snapped her book shut and turned to Jaune. Why was she glaring at him? Sun had offered. "Touching someone's Faunus appendage is a sign of the highest trust and is usually only reserved for the one closest to them. It's not something to be done lightly."

"Pfft." Sun scoffed at Blake's words. "That's so old-fashioned. No one goes by that anymore. If people are interested I say let them go for it. It's not like it'll hurt."

"It is customary. Faunus appendages are personal. They are their pride as a race and should be treated as such. Just because some Faunus doesn't respect their inheritance doesn't mean you should trample on it just because you're offered the chance. It's a slap in the face to the rest of them." All these words were directed right at Jaune and for once he finally understood how proud Blake really was to be a Faunus. He thought some part of her might have been ashamed and that was why she hid behind her bow, despite what she said. Sun's tail still hung temptingly in front of him but he no longer wanted to grab it. If Blake didn't even trust him enough to see her's yet, what right did he have to touch someone's he just met?

He nodded to her before turning apologetically to Sun. "Sorry. I'll pass after all."

Sun shrugged and his tail retracted. "Suit yourself." Blake's hand let go of Jaune's wrist and their arms returned to their sides. "You know quite a bit about Faunus culture. Kind of interesting." Sun was looking at Blake knowingly and Jaune found himself wondering if he actually did know. Were Faunus capable of sensing their own kind? He had no idea but Blake didn't seem concerned and just continued to pointedly ignore him as she had since he'd come over. He should probably cover for her seeing as she wasn't going to.

"She does read quite a lot. Probably read a whole encyclopedia about Faunus at one point or another." He said this half-jokingly but sometimes he wondered; Reading an encyclopedia didn't seem like much of a stretch for Blake she read so much.

"You two seem pretty close. You guys grow up together or something?" Sun's question caused Jaune to tilt his head in confusion.

"We only met about ten days ago." Sun's mouth fell wide open at his answer and his eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them in shock.

"T-ten days ago!?" He sputtered in disbelief.

Jaune nodded and glanced to see if Blake would help confirm it. She just kept right on reading. "Do we really act that close?"

Sun nodded with way more vigor than he probably needed. "You two act like you were practically raised together! Anyone looking from the outside would agree with me! You have got to teach me your tricks! She still won't even look at me and I've been here for five minutes."

"It actually took a couple hours before she'd say more than necessary to me too." Jaune rubbed his chin as he reminisced. "She only really started after I accidently caused a Deathstalker to collapse a cave over our heads."

"Are...are you being serious?" Sun shivered lightly in fear. Too bad the guy didn't even know the half of it. Getting Blake's friendship was hardly an easy ordeal now that he thought about it. Still, he would go through everything all over again if it meant keeping it.

The sound of tapping on a microphone interrupted their conversation and all three of them turned to the stage to see Shirou standing front and center on it. Professor Port and three others stood in a line behind him.

"My apologies for the delay everyone." Shirou pulled out his scroll as he talked and hit a couple buttons. When he finished everyone's scroll made a small beep and vibrated as they simultaneously received a message. Jaune pulled his out just as everyone else did to see a huge program pending to be downloaded. "What I've just sent you all you can consider as your personal Lambent Identification. It allows you to enter and leave the tower, operate the elevator, access a majority of the facilities within including your own personal room. There is a map of the floor layout programmed in as well as an interactive map of the surrounding landscape that will update automatically as you journey around to slay Grimm. Your class schedules and weekly assignments will also update frequently."

He paused his speech as he waited for everyone to download the program. Jaune was surprised by how quickly it installed and in only several moments his scroll was displaying a picture of him with a list of statistics such as what school he was representing, his status as team leader, and even Grimm kills since arriving. He cocked his head in confusion at one of the statuses that simply read GKP with the number 500 next to it.

"It looks like most of you have finished at least glancing the system over." Shirou started back up. "Seeing as we are living far outside the kingdoms it isn't exactly feasible to expect any of you to earn money. So we've developed the GKP currency for you to use. It stands for Grimm Killing Points. In other words, the more Grimm you kill the more points you get. The stronger the Grimm the more points it is worth. You will use these points here to supply yourself. This includes meals, gear, even simple necessities such as toothpaste. If you fail at killing many Grimm then you are in for a very rough life here."

Jaune gulped nervously. This was probably what Ozpin had meant when he was talking about incentives to improve yourself. They were practically living in their whole own society out here. He tuned whatever Shirou was saying out as he flipped through some of the pages of information. The map of the tower was interesting to say the least. Beacon's rooms were on the eighth floor. Shirou's office was naturally at the top. He noticed that the sub-floor didn't even appear. That was curious. Did that mean his scroll wasn't authorized to let him go down to that floor either? Only one way to find out but that would have to wait.

The store menu popped up and he was surprised by how much you could actually buy out here. In the small corner of the screen it read 'Provided by the Schnee Dust Company.' That figured.

Next was his class schedule and short bios on the Hunters that would be training them. Classes didn't seem bad at all with him only having to attend four hours a day, four days a week of actually sitting through a lecture. That meant there was likely going to be a lot of out-of-class work though but that made sense given they had to kill Grimm to be able to even feasibly survive out here.

"-aune. Jaune!"

"Huh? What?" He gave a start and tore his gaze from his scroll to see Blake standing over him.

"The headmaster excused us. Everyone is heading to their rooms for the night." She eyed him curiously for a second before glancing at the page on his scroll. "It must have been interesting information. I don't think I've ever seen you read that deeply."

Jaune chuckled awkwardly. "I just love to learn. You know that." She rolled her eyes at him. "What time is it? I didn't think it was nearly that late." He glanced at his scroll to answer his own question and was surprised to see it was already eight at night. Being in a different timezone was messing with his internal clock.

He glanced around to see most of the other students were walking by them and forming a line at the elevator. "Where did Sun go?" He asked as he realized the monkey Faunus was no longer at the table with them.

"His teammates came and dragged him off. He said goodbye but you weren't paying attention."

"Oh." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Ruby and Weiss?"

"They're in line with PYRN to use the elevator." He tried to spot them but they were obscured by the crowd of students. As he looked at them all a thought struck him. This place was supposedly built as a school, right? Why then did they only have one elevator to get around? Wouldn't it have made more sense to have multiple means of getting to each and every floor? Or was he just overthinking things because of the mission Ozpin had given him?

"What're you thinking about right now?" Blake once again snapped him from his thoughts. Damn it. He had to quit being so obvious about all the doubts he was having. What kind of spy was he?

"I was just..." He had to think of something to chance the subject. "...wondering if you were still mad about Penny?" Idiot! Why did he have to bring that back up of all things? Stupid brain.

Blake grimaced slightly before pulling her chair back out and sitting next to him once again. "I wouldn't say I was mad so much as frustrated about it. We're here to become Hunters and Huntresses, Jaune. We can't afford to be distracted by petty things like crushes and gossip." And espionage he added silently in his brain. He shook that thought away. He had to focus on the conversation at hand.

"You're not at least the littlest bit interested in falling in love?" Now that he thought about it, he had no idea about what Blake looked for in a lover. They hadn't exactly talked about things like that yet. Most of what they talked about was actually always training related. She was constantly worried about making sure he got stronger as quickly as possible. It was actually rather unsettling how single-mindedly dedicated she was to that cause.

Blake shrugged at his question. "I've never had the time to think about something like that. Growing up I was always fighting for the cause." She didn't have to elaborate on what that cause was. "I suppose that hasn't changed. Becoming a Huntress is just a step to help me realize that dream. Romance is something that can come afterwards."

"You can't do both? What you're talking about accomplishing isn't necessarily something that you'll even be able to achieve in your lifetime. Don't you want to have children so you can pass your dreams onto them?"

These words caused Blake to frown. "My children should have dreams of their own. I don't want to force my own ambitions down their throat just because I wasn't able to see them through. It will be their lives and not mine to live through vicariously."

His eyes widened in shock. "I-I didn't mean anything like that! I just thought-"

"It's alright, Jaune." She cut him off. "You're trying to fulfill your family lineage so it only makes sense you would think about offspring that way. We're getting a little ahead of ourselves though. Not all school flings lead to having children." She did have a point. Jaune hated to admit it but he was a bit of a romanticist. He always just kind of thought the first girl he genuinely fell in love with would be the girl he would spend the rest of his life with. "My point is, I have no intentions of falling in love out here of all places. It's unnecessary."

"My, my. How boring." Shirou commented and they both tensed up immediately as he stopped behind them. "You two are too young to be giving up on love already. Not that I have much room to talk. My one true love has always been fighting the Grimm." Jaune was no expert in love but that sounded like a horrible experience to him.

"We didn't come here for a life of excitement. Not all of us at least." Blake turned back to Shirou and stared at him evenly.

"Life is no fun if you don't try to find some excitement in it. Live like everyday is your last. You never know if it might be; Especially out here." Jaune had no idea why Shirou insisted on looking at him the whole time he spoke. He hadn't even been the one to say anything yet. Blake appeared to notice this too because she kept glancing back and forth between them.

"Is there something you wanted with us, Headmaster?" Her voice had a slight edge to it now.

"Just thought I'd get to know some of my students is all." Shirou gave them both a disarming smile, not that it had any effect on either of them. "I also thought I would let Mr Arc know that I'll be taking the leaders out on a training trip tomorrow. Just think of it as a warm-up for things to come."

"Just the leaders?" Blake suddenly sounded very concerned and Jaune didn't blame her. If it was just the leaders that meant he wouldn't be with anyone from his team. He had no idea how he was going to survive without any of them. At least he would be with Pyrrha. That was a good thing, right? She was pretty strong so surely she could protect him. That sounded bad when he put it like that. He should be worried about being able to protect others, not himself.

"There are some qualities I wish to put to the test among the leaders. Your lives here are going to be strenuous and I need to be sure you're up to the challenge. If I feel anyone is not ready I withhold the right to send them back. We have no need for someone that is going to die fruitlessly out here afterall." Those words cut more deeply than Jaune would care to admit. Even more-so seeing as they seemed to be directed right at him.

"It looks like the elevator is free. I think we'll be taking our leave now." Blake stood up and grabbed Jaune by the elbow, pulling him up as well.

"You have a goodnight now, Mr Arc. Hopefully we can have a more engaging conversation when your overprotective partner isn't with us tomorrow." Jaune looked at him in horror as Blake dragged him away. The smile on the older man's face was the same perpetual creepy one as always.

"Is it just me or has he taken an unnatural interest in you?" Blake hissed under her breath.

"Please don't joke about something like that!" He tore his eyes away from the headmaster to look at his partner.

"I'm not joking." They arrived at the elevator and Blake waved her scroll in front of it. "I'm just saying you should keep your guard up around that guy. I don't trust him." She said as they waited for the elevator to arrive now.

Jaune shot a glance back to make sure he wasn't listening and was relieved to see he had already walked away. "You too?" He asked as he turned back to Blake. "What specifically is it that you don't trust about him?" He had suspected Blake was wary of him too but was relieved to actually hear her say it aloud.

The door to the elevator opened and Blake dragged him inside. When the door finally closed and started taking them up she responded. "There is something...off about him." She made a dissatisfied face as she for once had difficulty finding the right words. "His whole demeanor seems like one big persona. He's not what he appears to be and that makes me really nervous."

"You're being kind of cryptic about it." Jaune scratched his head as he tried to align Blake's concerns with his own. It wasn't so much to him that Shirou appeared false as it was that he seemed familiar. Why that was though he couldn't figure out. Maybe Blake was having just as much trouble placing it as he was.

"He is also a Schnee. That's enough reason for me to doubt him." That almost made him chuckle as he thought at least she had that to fall back to.

The elevator stopped at their floor and the door slid open to reveal another long hallway, this one with multiple doors on either side. "Here we are." Jaune sighed as he stepped off the elevator. "Where's our room again? Weiss and Ruby must already be there."

"We're actually in separate rooms here." Blake clarified as she began walking.

"Wait, what?" He had just assumed things would be like how they were at Beacon and they would all be bunking in one room together while they were here.

"It makes sense. There are far less students attending this school then Beacon so they can actually afford to room us separately." While that certainly did make sense it sounded much more lonely to him. He had rather enjoyed his week stay at Beacon with three beautiful girls staying the same room as him...even if it had been incredibly nerve-wracking at first; No thanks to Weiss threatening to ruin him if he so much as thought of doing something to any of them.

"This is my room here." Blake stopped outside a metal door with the number six engraved on the front.

Jaune pulled out his scroll and looked for his room number. "It says I'm room five." He turned around to see his door exactly opposite of Blake's. At least she was still close by.

"I'm going to make sure all my stuff is in order. You should do the same." Blake waved her scroll in front of her door and it opened. "Come see me before you go on that mission tomorrow. I want to know what it's about."

"Yeah, will do." Jaune replied absentmindedly as his looked shifted from her room to his door.

"Jaune?" She asked and he grimaced at the concern in her voice.

"Goodnight Blake. I'll see you tomorrow." He nodded at her before opening his own door and stepping quickly inside.

"Goodnight Jaune." He heard her mumble before his door closed behind him and isolated him from what felt like the rest of the world. He sat in complete darkness for several seconds before bothering to fumble for the switch to turn the lights on. Once he was able to see the first thing he noticed was how small the room was. Given he was by himself though he supposed it made sense. It wouldn't be a big room like at Beacon when the four of them had stayed together.

A twin-sized bed sat in the corner of the room and in front of it was a small dresser. All his belongings had been set meticulously atop it. Next to the bed was a desk and chair, creating just a small between the two. This was all positioned only a couple small steps away. It wasn't so bad he supposed. At least this room had carpet. He was also used to sleeping in a confined area. He had seven sisters to share with growing up after all. Too bad they weren't here with him. He had left them far behind. His whole previous life was far behind now.

His new life had begun and that was supposed to be a good thing. He may not have his family out here but he had his team.

Why was it then that he felt so alone?

* * *

 **AN:** Merry (belated) Christmas! Sorry this chapter took so long.

Don't know at all how I feel about this chapter. I guess I'll leave it up to y'all to decide. Jaune is really starting to feel the weight of attending this school while being tasked to spy on it, especially now that the headmaster is taking such an interest in him. More on that in the next couple chapters.

Blake's attitude towards Sun is a little different than it was in the show seeing as Jaune already knows and is supportive of her secret so she feels Sun is just something that could expose her. I'm sure I'll write something about that from her perspective down the line but I figured I would just clarify for now in case you felt she seemed OOC to him.

Penny was fun to write at least. I'm actually really proud of the way that whole interaction turned out even if it was mostly reminiscent of her introduction in the show. I don't have plans to include any other teams at the moment. While I could've introduced Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald as a team from Haven, I feel that part of the point of changing the location was to get away from them and their plans. Let Ozpin find someone else to handle them, I say.

Next time, Jaune goes on that special leader mission being led by Shirou.


	4. Razor Canyon

**Auburn**

 _Thorns_

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

* * *

Jaune groaned and rolled over in his bed. He was having a Hell of a time sleeping and couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Maybe it had something to do with that buzzing noise? What was that anyway? He buried his head under his pillow as he tried to block it out but to no avail.

He tossed his pillow off and let out a much louder groan as he crawled out of his bed to find the source of his ire. His blue eyes came to rest upon a small light sitting on the desk and he ambled over to it, his brain still half-asleep. What freaking time was it? He had to find his scroll. Oh wait, it was his scroll that was making all this racket in the first place. He looked at it curiously to see it ringing and that it was just past midnight. Who the hell would be calling him at this time?

"Hello?" He mumbled groggily as he answered.

"Ah, Mr Arc!" Shirou Schnee's chipper voice came over the other end and energy surged through Jaune's body as he immediately woke up the rest of the way. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm-uhhh...good, I guess?" What was up with this guy? He had already talked to him today. About four hours ago specifically.

"I'm very glad to hear that. I just sent out a message to all the other leaders but I figured I would do you the honour of calling you in person. If you're anything like me then you're a naturally deep sleeper." The hell was this guy talking about? Even though he was more or less awake now he wasn't able to put together why he would be messaging students at midnight. "Don't tell me you forgot?"

"I'm sorry...sir-"

"You can call me Shirou."

"Yeah, okay." He wasn't going to be doing that anytime soon. "I don't remember you saying anything about having to do something at midnight."

"Nonsense, you're just thinking about it all wrong! It's midnight which means that it is fact now tomorrow. You remember what I told you we would be doing tomorrow, don't you?"

Jaune opened and closed his mouth several times as he tried and failed to properly respond. "Y-You mean we're going on that mission right now?"

"So you do remember! Yes, right this moment. Get your gear and come up to my office. The other leaders shall be joining us shortly and we will all depart together." Seriously, why the hell did this guy sound so happy? He was talking about marching out into Grimm territory in the middle of the night! That sounded absolutely terrifying.

Jaune let out a long sigh. "I'll be right there." Before the headmaster had a chance to respond he ended the call. He thought about what Blake had said earlier. Shirou Schnee had for some reason or another taken a very unusual interest in him and it was manifesting in an even more unusual way. Why of all the leaders would he call him? For a moment Jaune wondered if he already knew he was spying for Ozpin here before disregarding the very thought. He hadn't even had a chance to do anything yet.

Speaking of Ozpin, should he call him to report in? What time was it in Vale right now anyway? He shrugged thoughts like the last one off and found Ozpin's number on his scroll. The headmaster of Beacon had given it to him so he could do just this.

After only two rings, he heard a beep as Ozpin answered the other end. "Greetings, Mr Arc. Good to hear that you're still alive." Was he supposed to have died already? "I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"I'm just uhh...reporting in." Jaune mumbled awkwardly as he stared at the screen on his scroll.

"Oh? And what have you to report then?" He probably should've expected that question. He hadn't honestly thought that far ahead though. He had only decided to do this a couple seconds ago after all.

"Well, did you know that Weiss' uncle was going to be the headmaster here?" He might as well start with that.

"Shirou?" So Ozpin did know of him. "I believe James did mention something like that, yes. He's an exceptionally skilled Hunter and is personal friends with James so it only makes sense that they would choose him to head the school. Even given the circumstances of what occurred in that area."

"Circumstances?" Jaune had been under the impression that they were the first group of humans to have been out here in...well, ever.

"I also suppose you wouldn't have heard about that." Ozpin mumbled and Jaune could almost feel his reluctance to continue the conversation down this path. "Lambent's location was decided because we had already attempted once to set up a base of operations over there. Rather, The Schnee Dust Company had attempted to set up a base of operations. That land is incredibly rich in natural Dust and Weiss' father wanted to mine it in order to increase output. However, the sudden concentration of Faunus in the area caused the Grimm to swarm and they were all killed. The area was abandoned but the framework had already been established. So Shirou stepped in and offered to use it as a new facility to train Hunters. James was quick to support the decision and now there you are."

"You don't think this is information you could've given me beforehand?" Jaune was no expert but he was pretty sure that in order to do his job it was important for him to have all the facts before going in. This seemed like pretty pivotal information to him. There was one more thing he said that bothered him too. "You said they were all Faunus?"

"Of course." Ozpin said rather matter-of-factly. "The Schnee Dust Company employs Faunus as their Dust miners due to their enhanced vision in darkness and more natural endurance. It also helps that most Faunus are willing to work for less than what's considered minimum wage due to most companies refusing to hire them at all."

Anger boiled in the bottom of Jaune's gut as he heard all this. It was no wonder Blake disliked Weiss so much...or her company at least. As frustrated as it made him though he knew he also had to push it aside for now. He couldn't go and face Shirou angry with him right off the bat. He needed to do what he could to stay in his good graces...even if those graces were downright weird. Speaking of which, should he tell Ozpin about that? Probably. "Do you have any idea why Shirou Schnee would have taken an interest in me? He's gone out his way a couple times already to make conversation and it's kind of freaking me out."

"Hmm…" He could hear Ozpin take a sip from his mug as he processed the information Jaune had just given him. "You two are rather similar now that I think about it." Similar? To that guy? Jaune certainly didn't think so. "I'm sorry to say Mr Arc but I have to go." Ozpin suddenly said before he was able to elaborate further.

"Alright. If I find anything I'll let you know." He wanted to ask him so much more but he could always do it later; provided he survived this mission.

"I look forward to it." Ozpin ended the call and Jaune sat his scroll on the desk. He quickly stripped his onesie off and dressed in his combat gear. After making sure he had absolutely everything he needed he ran out the door and into the hallway.

He stopped immediately outside his door and just stared at the one across from him. It was Blake's room. She had told him to stop and see her before the mission. She probably hadn't accounted for his mission to start at midnight, however. Then again no one had. She would surely be asleep and would probably be angry at him for waking her up. He really wanted to see her though. He was about to go fight Grimm and for the first time he had done such a thing he wouldn't have her at his side. What if he wasn't ready to handle this on his own? What if he died out there? Their last conversation had hardly been anything he would call spectacular.

"Jaune?" A new voice pulled him from his thoughts and he turned to see Pyrrha walking out from her room. That was right! She was a leader too. Maybe he wouldn't be with Blake but he would have one of the most accomplished huntresses-in-training in this generation with him. Maybe he wouldn't die after all.

"Hey! You ready for this mission?" He put on the most confident persona he could muster and strut up to her.

"Is it a mission? The only thing my message said was that all the leaders are to report to the Headmaster's office immediately." Pyrrha tilted her head in confusion at him. He had forgotten that he had been the only one Shirou had actually mentioned the mission to beforehand. It seems like he would have at least said more than that in his message to the rest of them though.

"He may have mentioned it to me earlier." Jaune mumbled offhandedly.

Pyrrha nodded lightly in acceptance and gave a polite smile as she indicated towards the elevator. "Shall we go?"

"Ladies first." Jaune gave a slight bow and Pyrrha let out a small giggle. He beamed positively at her reaction. It felt great to make such a beautiful girl laugh. They boarded the elevator together and stood side by side as it started to take them to the top floor.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She let out a long, tired yawn and stretched her arms far above her head. As she did she happened to accent her more womanly assets and he quickly averted his eyes to keep from staring, a deep blush now on his face.

"Do elevators cause your motion sickness to act up too?" Pyrrha leaned forward in concern, her red ponytail dangling over her shoulder and he took a hurried step away from her.

"Y-yeah, they do." He lied. He would rather she think he was about to throw up then think he was checking her out. One would actually think he'd be used to dealing with beautiful girls by now. He had three of them on his team after all. Maybe it was because they were all on his team though he tried really hard not to look at them that way. Weiss would murder him if he did and he had worked real hard to get the little respect she did have for him. He wasn't going to ruin it by flirting with her. Ruby was...well, she was Ruby. She was cute, quirky, and had the ability to act downright adorable on command. She was also still just a little kid at heart though and trying to flirt with her just felt wrong. That and Yang very well might murder him.

Blake...she was his partner. They had already discussed this. He quickly waved thoughts of her away and refocused on the woman in the elevator with him. He actually didn't know a whole lot about Pyrrha except what Weiss had told him. He had hardly interacted with her at all but she seemed very polite and surprisingly humble. He never would've guessed she was the Champion of a fighting tournament multiple times if no one told him. That right there set the bar pretty high.

"Would it help you if I rub your back?" Pyrrha had already entered his personal space yet again and he felt her hand pat him lightly. It took every fibre in his being not to yelp and jump away from the unexpected contact.

"Y-You don't have to do that." Damn that stutter of his. Where the hell did all the confidence he had shown her at the beginning go? Oh, that was right. He faked it. He always fell apart after the first couple lines. Man, this must look pretty lame from her point of view.

"Nonsense. I'm more than happy to help out a fellow leader." Pyrrha spoke softly as she gave him one of the most sincere smiles he had ever seen. He met her green eyes in disbelief and the blush on his face got a little deeper. He saw her smile falter for half a second and he wondered if he had creeped her out now. "I was wondering-" She hesitated for a couple seconds before her face settled into a resolved look. "-seeing as you and I are both leaders, maybe we could get together from time to time and help one another out? Discuss things like tactics and such."

"Are-are you being serious?" Pyrrha looked slightly taken aback by his question before looking somewhat hurt.

"I mean, if you don't want to-"

He quickly shook his head. "No way! That sounds awesome! You have no idea how much that would help me out! I've been stressing out so much about being a leader. It would be great to have someone else to talk to who knows what that's like." Weiss would stab him if she ever heard that he said that.

Pyrrha looked relieved and then ecstatic and his response. "That's grand! I'm so glad to hear you feel that way." With one hand still on his back she extended her other towards him.

"You are?" He tilted his head curiously as he shook her extended hand.

She nodded and then averted her gaze lightly. It must have just been her hair but he could've sworn he saw her blushing slightly. "Of course. I've been very interested in getting to know you...as a fellow leader. I think we could both improve with one another's help."

"Ah." Jaune's smile turned self-depreciating and he felt a spark of guilt. She must have assumed that because he was a leader he was actually a decent student. Once they started hanging out though she was going to discover the truth about him. There was no way she was going to improve by hanging out with him. Instead he was going to end up the one reaping all the benefits of hanging out with a true leader. Would it be better if he just came clean now instead of letting her find out on her own?

Before he could come to a decision the door opened as they arrived at Shirou's office. Pyrrha was already walking off the elevator and he quickly skipped forward to keep up with her. The office was much smaller than he had imagined. It looked like every other team leader was already here and the twenty of them stood rather cramped in front of a small wooden desk.

"Jaune! My very best friend! It is so wonderful to meet you again so soon!" He had no chance to react as someone sprung forward and wrapped him in a bonecrushing hug and hoisted him into the air.

"Penny!" He wheezed as his feet flailed and he felt his face his turn blue. Seriously, how ridiculously strong was this girl!? He tried glancing to Pyrrha for help but she took a nervous step away in case she received the same type of affection. "Why are you hugging me?" He attempted to no avail to wiggle himself free and Penny tightened her grip a little more in response.

"Is this not how best friends greet one another?" Penny tilted her head in confusion as she finally set him back on his feet. Jaune took in a huge breath as his lungs filled themselves with air.

"I suppose some friends do hug when they meet one another, yes." Since when did he and Penny become best friends? He had only had one conversation with her and had pretty much fled from it the first chance he got.

"Then why are you confused Jaune? You can be so strange sometimes." Really now. She was calling him strange?

"I had no idea you were the leader of your team." Sun smirked at the two of them as he approached. There were a surprising number of familiar faces seeing he knew almost no one at this school "I would've guessed it was Ice Queen by the way Neptune talked."

Jaune chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. "Believe me, if she had her way she would be the leader." He looked past Sun and towards the desk, expecting to see the headmaster standing behind it. He didn't see him and tilted his head in confusion. If he wasn't there then where was he?

"I'm glad you could all make it." Jaune let out a girly shriek as Shirou spoke from immediately behind him. As if he hadn't even heard it Shirou kept right on talking. "We'll be taking an excursion out to a Grimm nest today in order for me to get a better evaluation of your skills. As the leaders of your respective teams there are many things you must be prepared to face out here. Now if you all are ready, will you follow me?" He patted Jaune lightly on the shoulder and nudged him forward. He led him through the crowd and to the back of his office where he opened a door Jaune hadn't even realized was there.

Behind it was a set of stairs leading upwards. Where they ended he couldn't tell as they spiralled around a corner and disappeared. "After you Mr Arc." Shirou's hand had yet to leave his shoulder and it was starting to freak him out. It kind of felt like he was being led to his doom without him having any say in the matter. Reluctantly he started up the steps and could hear everyone else follow after him.

"You're rather tense Mr Arc." Yeah, there was a pretty good reason for that. He would be a lot less tense if this guy would just allow him to go back to his room and go to bed. He didn't exactly care to go Grimm hunting when they were at their most deadly. He didn't voice any of this aloud and simply continued up the stairs until he came to what he assumed was the roof of the tower.

A huge dome blocked out the sky and the only light source came from some spherical object that was glowing a sickly green in the middle of the room. Sun let out a long whistle that echoed loudly as he and the other leaders arrived as well. "How're we supposed to get to the Grimm from all the way up here?"

"We fly of course." Shirou tapped a couple buttons on his scroll and in immediate response the loud clunking of gears turning reached their ears as the dome split into eight sections that unfolded away from one another like a giant, budding flower.

Moonlight flooded into the dome and the roar of an airship's engine could be heard as it waited just outside for them. A strong gust of cold wind whipped through the gaps and Jaune turned his head away from the unexpected chill and back to the strange object in the center. "What is that thing?" It looked incredibly ominous to him, probably just because of how unappealing the light it cast off appeared.

"It's just a beacon to help pilots locate the tower in case of a storm." Shirou answered rather off-handedly. "Come on now, the ship is docking." He tapped Jaune's shoulder once again and he turned to the see the ship hung off the edge of the tower with its back-hatch open and waiting. The other students were already jogging ahead to board with the exception of Pyrrha, Penny, and Sun. The three of them were waiting for him. He smiled appreciatively at them and they all walked towards the ship together.

As they got closer to the edge Jaune was hit with the realization of how high in the air they truly were. It was no exaggeration to say that he could see for kilometers in every direction. He had slept for most of the ride here and the only bit of landscape he had taken in was when he had fought his way in the last little bit. Flashes of red from below caught his eye and he tilted his head almost straight down. He couldn't see anything as the tower eclipsed the moonlight but then he saw streaks of red and realized they were the lasers that had protected them yesterday. Did that mean Grimm were trying to get into the tower? It probably wasn't surprising given their location but it was still a little disconcerting.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha was the last one beside him to board the ship.

"Right! Sorry." He had forgotten what he was doing for a second he had been so taken by the view. With a light jump he boarded the ship and its hatch began to close behind him. As it did the ship began moving and he was hit all at once by a sense of vertigo. Ah crap. One more thing he had forgotten because he was so swept up in the moment was his motion sickness. He was about to make a complete dunce of himself in front of all the other leaders. There went any credibility he had. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? They weren't likely going far so maybe it was just a matter of holding out. He could handle that. Probably.

"Excuse me, Mr Headmaster?" Penny extended her palm into the air and stood as high as she could on her toes as if it would make her easier to see then she already was.

"Go ahead Miss Penny." He nodded to her in acknowledgement.

"Yes Sir!" Penny saluted although Jaune had no idea why. "Where is our destination and what is our objective tonight, Sir?" She at least brought up a couple good questions even if she asked them in a really strange manner. Maybe Ironwood had drilled his military training into her? Must have been rough growing up with him.

"Ah yes. I suppose you would all appreciate some details on what we'll be doing." He grinned at everyone and they all nodded quickly in agreement; Everyone except for Jaune who was trying to be as still as possible. The less he moved the better.

"We're heading to a location known as Razor Canyon. It is notable for the massive thorny vines that infest the entire gorge. It is also the location of a populated Deathstalker nest." Jaune gave a light heave and Shirou paused to look at him. For the first time Jaune had seen his smile was gone and a disgruntled frown had replaced it.

"Sorry. Go on." Jaune waved for him to continue as he went back to focus on not puking. He also tried not to focus on the fact that he was about to go up against an army of Deathstalkers. He had only ever encountered one and he had no desire to repeat that experience. Hopefully they weren't dwelling in any caves.

Sun slid up to him as discreetly as possible and leaned close to him. "You feeling alright there bud?" He whispered under his breath.

Jaune gave him a thumbs up as he leaned against the wall of the ship. "Peachy. Just some light-headedness. I'll be fine." Hopefully.

Sun didn't look quite convinced but didn't appear interested in pressing the point either. "So listen, I was just wondering a little to myself, and don't take this the wrong way or anything, but seriously what is your relationship with that Blake girl?" Sun glanced sideways and his eyes widened and Jaune turned to see Pyrrha was listening in on the two of them. He merely shrugged it off. He didn't care if she overheard his answer after all.

"Blake and I are partners and she's my best friend. She's saved my life a couple times so I owe her quite a bit. That's really all there is to it." While that wasn't exactly all there was to it he felt that summed their relationship up pretty neatly without giving away either of their secrets.

"So...you're not pining for her or anything?" Sun twirled his thumbs and flinched slightly back as the words left his mouth. He was probably worried about the consequences of being right as he was pretty much admitting to Jaune that he was interested.

"No, nothing like that." Jaune started to shake his head but paused as his stomach wretched. Instead he waved it off with one hand while the other gripped his gut. "You've got a tough battle ahead of you though if you're trying to get with her. She doesn't exactly see the value of pursuing a relationship out here."

"You're saying that you'd be willing to help me though?" Sun asked, suddenly very optimistic despite Jaune's warning.

He opened his mouth to tell him that he would do what he could but his breath hitched and this time it wasn't because he might puke. Was it really okay for him to just agree to this? He didn't exactly know this guy all that well but he seemed cool enough. Bonus points to him being a Faunus. Surely if Blake was interested in a guy he would have to be like her in that regard. If it turned out he was actually a huge jerk he could always just quit anyways. So what was stopping him?

Blake would surely be pissed if she found out. Why should that matter though? He had done plenty of things to make her mad already and he would be doing this for her own good. If she got together with Sun that would surely make her happy. Love made everyone happy, didn't it? That sounded kinda childish but screw it, he was making a point. He should definitely help Sun out. He had no good reason not to. Yet he couldn't for the life of him bring himself to say yes.

"I hate to interrupt-" For once, Jaune was glad to hear the headmaster's voice. "-but Mr Arc looks like he may lose the contents of his stomach at any second. If I may ask, why aren't you utilizing your Aura to stabilize yourself?"

Every gear in Jaune's brain ground to halt at what he heard. "You can do that!?" He half-yelled in a mix of shock and anger. If he could do that why hadn't someone felt the need to share that with him?

"Normally one's Aura does that automatically for them." Shirou sounded slightly fascinated as he inspected Jaune up and down. "How did you have your Aura unlocked? Did a teacher at your old school do it or was it perhaps your parents?" Worry flashed across Jaune's face for a second before he reined it in. He couldn't let this guy know that Blake had only done it barely two weeks ago.

"Does it really matter who unlocked it?" He asked a little too defensively.

Shirou paid no mind to his tone. "Of course it matters. When it comes to unlocking your Aura there are many factors to consider. Your age, emotional state, who unlocked it, what chant they used. There is a whole myriad of factors that go into it and can have varying differences on both your Aura and even your Semblance. If done incorrectly it could be catastrophic for you."

"My Aura works just fine!" Even if he had done it unintentionally he had just insinuated that Blake had messed up when unlocking his Aura. She wouldn't have made a mistake like that and his Aura had saved his life already several times. He knew it worked.

"It surely doesn't make that much difference does it?" Pyrrha questioned curiously as she stepped forward. "Your Aura is the manifestation of your own personal soul. All of those things don't change who you are."

"Don't they? You can't tell me that the you four years ago is the same person you are now. Your opinions, attitudes, sometimes your whole personality changes. Not to mention that when someone unlocks your Aura they're inserting a part of their soul into your own. That very act leaves residual effects that last the rest of your life." Shirou talked excitedly and actually sounded somewhat like a teacher for once. He must really be passionate about Aura.

As fascinating as it all was though, it wasn't helping him feel any less sick. So instead he focused inwards as he always did when tapping onto his Aura. He found that little light in himself and called upon it. Almost immediately he felt sweet relief wash over himself as he did. He seriously wished he had known this earlier. He never had to worry about motion sickness again.

"What did you just do?" Sun asked and he realized everyone on the ship was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Uhh...what?" He didn't understand the question.

"You started glowing all gold for a second and your Aura like pulsed over me." Sun looked to the others for backup and a couple of them nodded.

"Isn't that normal?" He really should have read that book about Aura that Blake had given him. As it stood he knew almost nothing other than a couple off-hand comments by her while she tried to figure out his Semblance.

"Most peculiar." Shirou rubbed his chin and smirked as he studied Jaune up and down once again. That was just great, he had already been on this guy's radar but now he had solidified himself as someone to keep an eye on. "Do you mind if I ask what your Semblance is?"

"My Semblance?" He didn't have the faintest clue what it was. That wasn't necessarily such a big deal though. Blake had assured him that sometimes it took years for people to discover what it was. She had also said it usually reflected the type of person you were when your Aura was unlocked. The only thing he had wanted then and now was to help people. It would make sense if his Aura reflected that. At least he thought so.

Shirou seemed to sense Jaune's discomfort because he immediately amended his last question. "Well it doesn't matter. This mission should tell us more. Actions speak louder than words after all." And now he was expecting him to go out there and show him what he was made of. This kept getting better and better. Jaune had to fight the urge to sigh in frustration.

"Speaking of which, we're almost there." Shirou checked his scroll which was attached to his wrist like a watch. "I suggest you all mentally prepare yourselves. The Grimm out here are numerous and a lot of them grow to be incredibly large." Jaune gulped at his words. "Having said that though, we believe this nest to be fresh so there should only be a couple full-grown Deathstalkers."

"Just a couple." Jaune repeated dryly. That sounded like a couple more than he wanted to face. Odds were in his favor though that one of the others would take care of them for him. He should probably try to stick as close to Pyrrha as possible and just pick off some of the easier ones. It wasn't the most noble way to fight but it had kept him alive so far.

He felt Sun pat him roughly on the shoulder and turned to see him grinning broadly. "Don't look so worried man. I'll keep an eye on you in place of Blake. She's bound to appreciate that." This guy certainly had a one-track mind, not that he could blame him.

"Thanks." At the very least it felt good to know he had made other friends so it wasn't like he was going to be alone. Thinking that he also turned to Penny. "You ready for this?"

Penny gave him another one of her serious salutes. "I'm combat ready!" He would take that as a yes.

The hatch began to open just after she said that. "That's good because we're here." Shirou gestured out into the air. "Students first." Looks like they were jumping again. What was it with Hunters having to jump out of everything? He got that it was dangerous for the ship to touch down and all but he was seriously getting sick of this.

"Let's do this." Sun didn't even hesitate to sprint full force out the back and jump. With numerous shouts of encouragement the others all followed quickly after him.

Jaune took several deep breaths as everyone ran around him and made their way off the ship and into combat. He could do this. He had to do this. Pyrrha looked back at him in worry for a second before she also jumped after everyone. The only ones that had yet to move were himself, Penny, and Shirou.

He needed to hurry. If he fell too far behind Pyrrha he wasn't going to be able to stick closely to her. With every ounce of willpower he had he took his first step forward. Before he could take his next he felt Penny's arm lock around his neck. "It is time for our grand entrance Jaune!" She broke into a run and nearly yanked him off his feet as she pulled him along.

"Wait! Penny! Not like this!" It was too late as she jumped off the ship for both of them and he entered freefall. Instinctively he wrapped an arm around her waist as they tumbled towards the ground.

The others below him were already fighting, having likely come across Grimm the moment they hit the ground. Speaking of the ground, hearing about where they were heading and actually seeing it were definitely two different things. They were falling right towards a massive chasm that appeared to split the earth in two for leagues. How deep it went was impossible to tell due to the massive forest of twisting vines that filled it. Each individual vine was so large it easily held four students fighting side-by-side and had giant thorns protruding all over their surface and if he was looking at it right they were heading right for one those thorns.

"Penny! Please tell me you have a landing strategy!" They were mere seconds from a very painful death and Penny had yet to do anything to adjust their trajectory or slow their descent.

"Have no fear Jaune! I have a plan!" He really hoped that plan involved dodging that thorn they were about to crash into. A small hissing noise reached his ears and he could've sworn he saw ten swords fly out of her back out of the corner of his eye. He disregarded it as ridiculous until those swords flew across his vision and buried themselves in the wall of the canyon. Penny flexed her fingers and like they were attached to a string the swords reeled them in and changed their descent from downwards to sideways.

They flew for several meters until skidding to a stop on a vine that ran a little higher than the rest. "That was actually a really good plan." Jaune patted himself down with his free hand and was relieved to feel he was all there. His other arm was still wrapped around Penny's waist and her own arm still had him in a headlock. The swords detached themselves from the wall and came flying back to her. They stopped behind her back and formed a circle as they hovered in place.

She finally removed her arm and he did the same as he took in the surroundings. They stood on one of the higher vines and directly beneath them he could hear the other students' shouts of exertion as they clashed against their enemies. They needed his help! He ran to the edge and looked down to see numerous of the green stalks criss-crossing beneath him. A short distance away he saw Pyrrha and Sun fighting side-by-side as they each took on at least four Deathstalkers.

At least these Deathstalkers weren't nearly as big as the one he and Blake had encountered in the cave. A majority of them were only up to his waist tall and they appeared to be much less durable than the bigger ones as well as evidence when Pyrrha's sword pierced one in the head and killed it.

"There's a free group for us down there Jaune!" From the darkness below came a small armada of Deathstalkers, the bulbs of their stingers illuminating them. They were pretty far removed from the others and were scaling their way up the vines with horrifying precision.

"Oh boy. Maybe we should meet up with the others? That looks like a lot for us to take on by ourselves." He took a couple steps back and hoped Penny had the sense to listen to him.

"Just leave this to me!" Or she would completely ignore him and charge forward by herself. That worked too. She jumped down and flew towards them. He glanced back at everyone else. No one was isolated and they all had a partner by their side. He would be absolute scum to leave Penny on her own.

"Here goes nothing." He unhooked Crocea Mors and let out a long sigh as he chased after his weirdest friend. He began scurrying down the vines, jumping from one to the next in an effort to get down there as quickly as possible. This was not going according to his plan at all. He should have jumped out with Pyrrha. Penny did wield ten swords at once though, that had to make her pretty capable, right?

The answer to that question was beyond a shadow of a doubt yes. Her swords flew from her back and homed in on the Deathstalkers like missiles. They slashed, pierced, and cut through them like butter before she had even landed on the ground. How was she doing that? Maybe she could teach him to do that with his sword?

As she was preoccupied with the Grimm in front of her though a dozen of them scurried from around the underside of the vines behind her. "Penny!" He shouted in warning as he finally jumped to the vine she was fighting on. He landed on the back of one of the Deathstalkers and thrust his sword directly into its head. With a sickening crunch he pierced its flesh and it collapsed beneath him. A couple of the others turned to him and their beady, little, red eyes glared angrily at him. The rest continued after Penny.

"Don't ignore me!" He jumped off of the one he was standing on and rushed past the couple that were coming for him. One of the lunged at him with its stinger but he ran around the side of one of the giant thorns and its stinger struck that in his place.

He came up to one of the ones ignoring him and slashed its stinger clean off. It gave a terrifying screech as it thrashed in pain which he ended by stabbing it in the side and killing it. He was doing good. Two down, only a hundred to go. A flash of orange out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he brought his shield up just in time to block the stinger strike of one of the couple he had run past. It hissed at him and he only responded by thrusting his sword forward and killing it.

Two more ran up on either side and lunged at him. He jumped and rolled out of the way but failed to recover properly and smashed into one of the thorns with his head. "That hurt." He grumbled as he stumbled to get back to his knees. As he did another stinger descended towards his head. He brought his shield up and barely blocked the strike but thanks to his awkward stance he was knocked over and onto this back.

Three of them stood over him and he crawled backwards as quickly as he could to put distance between himself and them. He didn't get far before he ran smack into the same thorn that had interrupted his roll. Well, this had gone south very quickly for him. Not that he was really surprised by the sudden turn of events. He didn't exactly have much talent of his own without someone from his team being there to follow-through.

Their stingers poised to strike and his body tensed as all three of them paused right in front of him. He hoisted himself into a crouch using the thorn to his back as support and held his sword so it was pointing backwards instead of how he usually used it. Penny was still engaging her own set of opponents. He had to do this if he wanted to survive. Blake would be ashamed if he went down like this. He just really hoped this worked.

Their stingers jabbed at him simultaneously and Jaune swung his sword arm around to intercept them. Adrenaline caused time to appear to stop for just a brief second and in a moment of clarity Jaune knew which stringer was going to hit him first and just where he needed to swing to save his life. He gave a loud roar as his sword sliced right where the tail met the stinger of the Deathstalker to his right. It continued through without slowing down and he continued to swing his sword in that arc until it did the same thing to the two Deathstalker's after.

Their stingers hit the ground and their tails whipped backwards like broken cords. The Grimm continued to hiss at him and struck with their pincers instead this time. They certainly didn't know when to give up. He kicked off the ground and brought his shield forward and bashed the left one in the face. He then loosed his grip on his sword for a second to spin it around so he could hold it properly and swung it downwards, cutting the middle one open down its center. He quickly backpedalled towards the stunned Grimm and away from the pincers of the last one.

Finally he was able to put some distance between himself and them, not that they posed much threat without their main form of attack. They could certainly still kill him but his chances of survival were much better now. At least they were until four more scuttled up behind them. "Oh come on!" One on one was one thing. He could probably handle that all day. It was what Blake had trained him for after all. He was horrible at taking on groups at a time.

Should he make a run for it? That would probably look pretty pathetic. That might be fine as long as it kept him alive though. Six Deathstalkers, even little ones, were probably a little too much for him. He once again glanced over towards Penny but to his surprise she was gone. Before he could think much of it though she landed directly in front of him. "Whoa!" He shouted in surprise and took a step back.

"I told you to leave this to me, Jaune." Despite her words she sounded really happy as she held her hands in front of herself. Her swords flew through the air and made short work of the six Deathstalkers Jaune had just been worrying about. He had to double-take as he took in the sight of all the dead Deathstalker's around them. She had easily killed more than thirty of them on her own! He had killed a whopping four before being forced to retreat. He supposed he really could have left it to her. "I appreciate your assistance though. Thank you, friend!" Penny spun around and grinned brightly at him as her swords returned to her back.

"Ah...yeah, don't mention it." He kind of hated being thanked when he really didn't do anything. Saying such things would probably go over Penny's head so he kept quiet.

"I think we have eliminated all of the Deathstalkers in our area. We should move on to assist the others." Penny took a couple steps towards the sounds of battle and Jaune turned towards it as well. They had descended a little farther than the others now and he couldn't see any of them but it sounded like they were doing well. This wasn't turning out to be much of a mission. Not that he was complaining. It definitely helped that there were twenty of them. This task would've been impossible for any team alone.

"You think you can-" Jaune started to say but cut himself short as a loud crash echoed across the canyon. Following just behind it were several screams of pain and even more of terror. "Penny! Get us up there!" Jaune ran up to her and wrapped his arm around her waist like before.

"Right!" Penny's sword flew into the air and latched onto a vine just above them. For a brief second he thought he caught a glimpse of wires attaching Penny to them thanks to the moonlight. That certainly explained how she was controlling them. They must have been reeling them in too because in only a moment Penny was hoisted into the air, taking Jaune with her.

What he saw when they gained a high enough vantage point was anything but pleasant. Two giant Deathstalker's had arisen from the depths beneath them had had begun their assault. Several students had already been knocked down and a couple vines had collapsed, causing chaos and confusion amongst those that were still standing.

"We gotta help them." Jaune's mind kicked into overdrive as he attempted to devise a plan. The one Deathstalker was fairly close to them. If he just jumped a little to the right he would land on a vine that would take him right to it. It was a steep slope down though and he'd have trouble maintaining his balance and fighting it at the same time. If there was a way for him to get beneath it like when he and Blake...wait a second, he had it! "Penny! I'll take care of the one closest to us. Can you help take care of the other one?"

"I certainly can, Captain!" Penny saluted and begun swinging from side to side. Once she had enough momentum, Jaune let go and flew towards the vine the others were fighting on. He landed on it more roughly than intended and his feet buckled beneath him. "You okay?" Penny yelled in concern.

"I'm fine! Go help the others!" Jaune waved it off and Penny saluted once more before swinging herself off to do as he ordered.

He looked down the slope and was relieved to see the Deathstalker had its back turned to him. Four students were engaging it fruitlessly in combat, their dust rounds and weapons unable to penetrate it's exterior shell. A collapsed vine had them pinned with no way to escape but jumping further down.

"Hang on!" Pyrrha yelled as she and Sun landed on top of the Deathstalker. They delivered their strongest blows but it had no effect against its sturdy outer shell and they were forced to jump off of it as it started thrashing violently in an attempt to debunk them. They landed awkwardly next to the others and were forced back against the vine. If Jaune didn't act quickly they were all going to be killed.

"Okay, I can do this. I've done this before." Jaune took a couple deep breaths as he slipped his shield off and dropped it on the ground in front of him. Just like when he escaped from the Chimera...only this time he would be charging right towards the giant creature of Grimm instead. It swung its pincer and nearly clipped one of the students. Several of them shouted in fear and fired their weapons at it.

He couldn't hesitate any longer. He gave his shield a slight kick and ran after it as it began to slide down. He jumped in the air and landed on it on his back and almost immediately it accelerated far more quickly than he had anticipated. He channelled his Aura into his feet as he prepared for the swift impact that was going to follow if he pulled this off. If he didn't...well then he would die regardless if he survived this part or not.

"Get out of the way!" He shouted as loud as he could just as he was coming up on the Deathstalker.

"Jaune?" He heard Pyrrha exclaim in shock.

"What the hell are you doing?" Sun quickly hefted another student to their feet and helped him dodge the Deathstalker's stinger.

"Please work." Jaune closed his eyes for a brief second before he slid under the Deathstalker. He passed by its tail and once he was completely enveloped by its shadow he thrust his sword upwards. The satisfying sound of his sword tearing into flesh reached his ears and the Deathstalker screamed horrendously in pain as he gouged a giant hole into its underside. Blood splattered behind him as the creatures wound gushed heaps of it. In only a second he appeared at the other end and slammed into the collapsed vine in front of him.

His legs seized again in pain and his whole vision shot white but thankfully his Aura protected him from any real damage. The Deathstalker behind him collapsed and slid off the vine. It made several loud crashes as it bounced further and further into the darkness below.

The other six students stood completely still in shock as they tried to process what had just happened. "Did you just…" Sun's mouth started working first. "...kill it?"

"Uhh...I think so?" Jaune just lay where he was, partially because he was still too relieved it had worked and he hadn't died and partially because his legs still hurt like a bitch.

"Incredible!" Pyrrha whispered breathlessly. "How did you even think to do that?"

"I've done something similar before. Although last time it nearly took me down with it." Feeling was finally beginning to return to his legs. Thank you, Aura!

"You weren't lying about that cave-in, huh?" Sun must have recalled what he told him yesterday.

Jaune smirked at him before one of the other students finally seemed to realize what had just transpired. "You...just saved our lives."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far." Jaune mumbled while scratching his cheek.

"No you definitely did! We would have died if it wasn't for you!" Another one of them chimed in. The other two quickly voiced their agreement as well which only served to fluster Jaune further. He hadn't done anything that great. It was just dumb luck that it had worked out after all.

"Come on! Time to get up, Hero." Sun teased as he grabbed Jaune gruffly under one of his shoulders.

"You should be more proud of yourself. You did a great thing." Pyrrha beamed at him as she assisted Sun in lifting him to his feet.

"No, no. It really wasn't." Jaune continued to try to deny their praise anyways. It wasn't right of him to accept it. He wasn't that great of a student at all. They were all much more talented than him so being praised by them just felt wrong.

A flash of green behind him caught all their attention and they turned to see Penny firing a massive Dust beam at her Deathstalker, ripping it into pieces. Now that was how you got things done. Seriously though, how did she do that?

"I think you've got some competition." Sun patted Jaune sympathetically on the shoulder. He disagreed of course, he didn't have a chance against a girl that could do something like that.

"We need to gather everyone up and take care of the injured." Pyrrha hopped up the vine that was blocking their path. "There might still be some Grimm around too. We need to be careful."

"Right!" The others all quickly spread out and Jaune hurried to keep up with Pyrrha.

"Did you see where the headmaster went off to?" Jaune asked as he hefted himself up. He hadn't even seen him jump out of the ship and had kind of expected him to lend his aid. Even if they were expected to be elite students, they hadn't really had any kind of classes out here yet. It seemed like he would be invested in making sure they all remained alive for now.

Pyrrha shook her head. "I haven't seen him." As she talked she continued to scan for anyone that was in need of assistance.

"I think everyone is more or less wrapping things up." Sun landed nimbly next to them. "Watching those two big ones get taken out like they were nothing was a pretty handy morale booster. I thought someone was actually going to die for a minute there."

"There have yet to be any casualties!" Penny yelled from a vine above them. She jumped down and was quickly followed by a dozen other students. "Only a couple were injured and they suffered light sprains at worst!"

Jaune nodded and did a quick head count. It looked like almost everyone was accounted for. He glanced at where Pyrrha was looking to see the remaining few leaders kill off what looked like the last couple Deathstalkers.

Was that...it?

He had expected this whole thing to be much more dire than what it was. Maybe that was just him being overly pessimistic. Even so, he couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't over. It was apparent he was alone in these thoughts as the others clamored happily amongst one another and talked about how many they had killed. He stared awkwardly at them, not really sure how to join in.

Sun appeared to take notice of this and patted Jaune roughly on the back. "How about some cheers for Jaune and Penny?" He shouted loud enough to get everyone's attention. "Without the two of them one of us might have actually bit the dust to those big bastards! They each killed one of them single-handedly!"

Before he had a chance to protest he was overwhelmed by yells of agreement to Sun's words. Several of them stepped forward and patted him as they gave their thanks and he shrunk back under their attention and gratitude. Penny appeared unfazed as she received similar praise.

"Jaune? You alright?" Pyrrha stepped as close as she could to him and whispered into his ear. She was the only one that seemed to realize they were making him uncomfortable.

He nodded and gave her the most confident smile he could which he had no doubt was half-assed. "I've always wanted to get this kind of praise. Now that I'm actually getting it I'm just not sure what to do." He mumbled back as quietly as he could.

"That's easy!" Not quietly enough as Sun overheard him. "When we get back to Lambent we're gonna get you a date! Use your achievements to your advantage!" That actually didn't sound too bad. Although he doubted Blake would approve.

A loud ringing noise interrupted their celebration and everyone's hands flew to their ears and their eyes squinted in pain. After only a second it disappeared. "The hell was that?" One of the others shouted.

"It sounded like microphone feedback." Pyrrha responded as she held her hands close to her ears in case it happened again.

As they all tried to figure out what possibly could have caused that their scrolls started ringing. Everyone shared a confused look as they pulled them out. Jaune immediately recognized the number since it had just called him earlier. It was Shirou Schnee.

He answered while everyone else was still looking at it and he heard all of theirs click open in response. "Hello everyone! Sorry about that noise just a second ago! I set the whistle to the wrong frequency."

Whistle? Frequency? What was he talking about?

"I am also sorry to tell you all that I lied to you. Coming out here to clear the nest wasn't your true mission. Your actual training is unfortunately going to be much more brutal than that. You see, my scroll is now releasing a signal human's aren't capable of detecting. Grimm on the other-hand, well they can hear it for leagues and let me tell you does it drive them crazy. Odds are they'll be swarming on this location in a matter of minutes."

"What!?"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Now, now, don't be like that. I'm not so cruel as to leave you guys stranded. Just before this I called your teammates and gave them this location. They should be running out here to save you now. Which leaves you all three options. You can hold out in this canyon until dawn. That is likely your best option. Sure, a few of you will inevitably succumb to death before then but I have good faith that at least half of you will survive. We can reconfigure teams after."

At least half? This guy planned on letting half of them die!? Jaune's breath quickened and became short as fear gripped him.

"You're of course welcome to flee. The signal is coming from my scroll after all so I'm the one they're running too. This signal tends to rile Grimm up though so they'll probably attack the first thing they see so be stealthy about it if you choose to do that. I'm not too sure how much your teammates are going to appreciate you abandoning this location though seeing as they're running towards this deathtrap specifically to save you. As a precaution, I deactivated your teammate's scrolls so you won't be able to get a hold of them. Ultimately the choice is yours."

Everyone glanced at one another, his words dangling over their heads. It went without saying they couldn't run. They also couldn't stand here when it was likely half of them were going to die. There had to be something else.

"...One last thing you could do." Shirou's voice cut back in after a half-minutes pause. "I'm currently hidden in the canyon beneath you all. If you could find me and are capable of destroying my scroll you could end this whole thing before it even has a chance to begin."

That didn't sound so bad. Maybe that was their best option? He couldn't possibly take on all twenty of them.

"This is the option I recommend least. I am capable of cutting down most of these Grimm out here with a single stroke and I won't hesitate to use those skills against you if you come after me. I have no need for weak students that are going to attempt the easy way out." Jaune gulped. Well, there went that idea. He wasn't going to be the one going after him, that was for sure.

"Well then, that is all. Good luck." With a click all their scrolls hung up at once and they could only stare in shock at one another.

If his words were to be believed half of them were going to die.

No one dared moved or say a word. They didn't know what to say.

Finally, a noise permeated through the silence but it wasn't a comforting one.

It was the angry cries of hundreds of Grimm as they zeroed in on their location.

* * *

 **AN:** Well, that was fun to write. I feel like my story slowed down a lot after initiation ended so it felt good to send Jaune back out into the Grimm territory again. The actual action was only the last third of this chapter though. Hope it was to your liking.

The chapter length blew up to be way bigger than I expected and that seems to be happening a lot. I remember when I started this story I was happy to make a chapter five thousand words. Now I usually hover between eight and nine thousand. I guess that means my story is evolving!

I don't know how the rest of you feel about it but between this chapter and the last one I realize I absolutely love writing for Penny. I actually had so much fun with her I'm almost considering writing a story shipping Penny and Jaune. For this story though, I don't plan to have any romantic undertones between them; Just goofy friendship. This is first and foremost a Jaune x Blake story after all (even if I am taking a really long time to get to the romance part).

I would also once again like to thank everyone that favorites, follows, and reviews this story. I don't say it nearly enough but you guys are all awesome and it really does inspire me to kick it into high-gear when I see how much support I have for this story. So thank you very much!

Next time, Blake and the others head out and Pyrrha and Sun lead the others in defense against the Grimm. Meanwhile, Jaune reluctantly follows Penny to confront Shirou.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 11 - Pride_

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

* * *

"Good morning students of Lambent!" Blake jolted forward from her bed at the unexpected voice.

On instinct she reached for Gambol Shroud and her body tensed for immediate combat. Only half-way through the action did she realize how silly that was. She was in a bed in her room in the middle of a secure tower. Alone. No one had snuck up on her in her sleep and she was in no danger. At least, she didn't think so. Her damn jumpiness from all those years of living with a criminal organization still lingered in her subconscious apparently.

No, she had to calm down and just think about what happened. That was the voice of Shirou Schnee, the headmaster of Lambent. He had addressed the entire student body. That meant he must have been coming through a speaker in her room. Just as she finished thinking this he continued. "I apologize for waking you up at this hour but I figured you would all want to hear this as soon as possible."

Speaking of, what time was it? It was impossible to tell time in here with no windows. Blake grabbed her scroll and her eyebrow quirked up when she saw it was just past one in the morning. He had better have a really good reason for interrupting their sleep.

"I am contacting you all from a place known as Razor Canyon. It is about eight kilometres to the south-west of Lambent. I've actually gone ahead and pinged it on your scrolls for you. Don't lose that spot because I've also cut the signal to your scrolls with that message, and you won't be able to utilize some functions until I deem it appropriate."

Blake got to her feet and flicked the light to her room on as Shirou was talking. Once done, she glanced around for the speaker and found it located just above her sliding door. She didn't know why but it was comforting to stare at the source of the voice.

"You're probably wondering why I am informing you of all of this." He had that right. "Well, this is the fun part. You're all going to enjoy this. About an hour ago I took your leaders with me on a training excursion...only it's not really a training excursion. You see, I would guess hundreds of Grimm are about to come charging towards us any minute now. Your leaders...well, they're all going to die."

Blake's heart stopped for a second.

"Jaune."

She bolted for her door. She held her scroll up to it but it didn't move. She pulled at the handle but it remained wedged shut. She was trapped.

"That is, they'll all die if you all don't come running to this location to change that. Before any of you go charging out I want you to think about something." He wasn't exactly giving them a choice to go charging by locking them in their rooms. "Your leaders make up one fourth of the total student body. That's really not a large amount when you think about it. If you all come running out here after them I guarantee about half of you will die. That is double the amount of casualties as opposed to if you all just stayed put. Is it really worth risking two of you just to maybe save one person?"

Blake kicked her door in frustration and hissed loudly. She was ready to blow it open with Dust if she didn't get out in the next couple seconds. What kind of nonsense did he think he was spouting off? Blake would charge out there by herself if she had to. She wasn't leaving Jaune to die.

"Just some food for thought. Whether you stay behind or come out to die with them makes no difference to me. The choice is now yours." The speaker clicked off and the door slid open simultaneously. Blake stumbled out from the sudden lack of resistance but quickly regained her footing and slammed herself into Jaune's door which was immediately across the hall.

"Jaune! Jaune, open the door if you're in there!" She banged on it as hard as she could but she wasn't going to get any response and she knew it. He was gone.

That idiot! She had told him to see her before his mission. Did he forget or had he simply decided because it had been midnight to let her sleep. It didn't matter. Either way she was furious. She would give him an earful later. Right after she gut Shirou Schnee wide open.

"Jaune!" Ruby screamed as she bolted out her door only a second later. She scurried up to Blake who only shook her head at the younger girl. Ruby immediately looked around in panic as she tried to figure out what the next step to take was.

"Pyrrha!" Yang ran out of her room too. She punched her leader's door so hard it left a dent in it.

"Glorious Leader!" Nora cried right behind her. Ren silently exited his room but the worry was evident on his face.

"Would you all just stop with your yammering!" Weiss snapped as she appeared from the room next to Blake's. Compared to the rest of them she looked incredibly composed. She was already in her combat attire and was hooking Myrtenaster to her hip. "The faster you all quit floundering around like fish out of water and gear up the faster we can save Pyrrha and that dunce."

Blake may have disliked Weiss, but in this case she made a good point. They weren't going to accomplish anything in their sleepwear. If she wanted to save Jaune and kill that crazy headmaster she needed to think quickly and rationally. Usually that was her specialty but it seemed whenever Jaune was brought into the equation she threw some of her rationality out the window. That was something she needed to work on.

Silently she stalked back to her room as quick as her feet would take her. Ruby had already vanished in a flurry of petals. Yang returned to her own room mumbling curses the whole way while Nora skipped to hers. Ren, like Ruby, had already vanished into his room.

Blake immediately changed clothes and equipped Gambol Shroud to her back. She grabbed her scroll and tried to dial Jaune on the way out but her scroll was no longer receiving any kind of reception. Damn it!

She stepped out of her room to see Ruby and Ren already prepared. The only ones left were Nora and Yang. They had better hurry! Every second they wasted was a second Jaune might die.

"Belladonna, you need to calm down. I can feel your Aura seething from here." Weiss clicked her heels against the metal floor and Blake turned her irritated gaze on the heiress.

"You don't appear the least bit surprised by these turn of events. Did you know about this?" She accused pointedly. It wouldn't surprise her one bit if Weiss had a hand in this somehow.

"How dare you!" Weiss' shoulders hiked and she leaned forward as her face reddened with anger. "I would never go along with such a barbaric test!"

"You don't seem very surprised by this outcome either though." Yang reappeared from her room and she appeared just as disgruntled about the whole thing as Blake felt.

"That's because I know my uncle! This stupid game is exactly like something he would come up with. Now if you're all ready; let's go!" She turned around and stomped towards the elevator just as Nora re-emerged ready to go.

"This isn't exactly a game, Weiss." Ruby jogged up to her partner. "Jaune and Pyrrha really might die. Along with a lot of others." They stopped at the elevator and waited impatiently for it to arrive.

"You all really don't get it." Weiss gave a sigh of frustration and turned to face them. "Life is one big game to my uncle. Especially when life is on the line. I guarantee you he gave them several options too. He knows we're all going to come running to save them. He's planning on it."

The elevator opened and they all walked inside. "What does he plan to accomplish by doing this then?" Ren rubbed his chin as he considered Weiss' words. "Does he really plan to allow half of us to die?"

"He's certainly prepared for that outcome." Weiss nodded and Blake felt her hair bristle. What kind of shit had they gotten themselves involved with? "My guess is he gave them some kind of loophole. Some way out. He probably presented it as the least viable option but in actuality that is the one he wants them to take the most. That's what he does."

"What kind of loophole stops hundreds of Grimm from swarming on you?" Yang asked the question that Blake knew Weiss had no way of answering. They simply didn't have enough information about what was going on over there.

"We're just going to have to find out when we get there." Weiss responded curtly as the elevator arrived at the bottom floor. They wasted no time in scurrying out one of the doors and running for the nearest exit.

"Should we wait for the other students to get down here?" Ruby took a look back towards the elevator as it made its way back up.

"They'll only slow us down!" Nora responded and Blake was surprised to find that she agreed with her.

"We won't be too far ahead of them and there is safety in smaller groups. We'll attract Grimm if we become too large a mob." Blake reasoned aloud.

The doors slid open and they ran into the moonlit landscape. "Map bearer! Where are we heading?" Weiss called and it took Blake a moment to remember that that was the title Jaune had given her. She thought about telling Weiss to figure it out herself but remembered how horrible she was with direction. For Jaune's sake she simply started jogging towards their destination. It took every ounce of willpower not to full-out sprint. She needed her energy if she was going to be any help. The others quickly followed after her.

They were coming, now she just had to hope Jaune wouldn't do anything stupid.

Who was she kidding, it was Jaune. The very first thing he did was bound to be stupid.

* * *

"We need a plan. Like ASAP." Sun was the first one amongst the team of doomed hunters-in-training to say something. The sound of Grimm was getting louder and they could feel the ground start to shake as every second brought more and more of them stampeding closer.

"Shouldn't we just do what he said and defend ourselves until our teammates arrive?" One of the others asked. Several others voiced agreement.

"No way! I say we get the Hell out of here!" Another shouted and more voices joined in with her's.

"And leave our teammates to come running to their deaths? We're supposed to be leaders!"

"It'll take them an hour to get here at best! We might already be dead before they show up!"

"Perhaps we should try to find him? There's no way he could take all of us."

"I'm not going after that psycho! Who knows how many of us he'll split in half before we manage to subdue him! The first option is definitely the best!"

"What do you think, Jaune?" One of them suddenly asked but received no reply.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked and she prodded him lightly with her finger.

"What's up?" He asked as he looked at her. He then realized everyone else was staring at him. "Oh. When you said Jaune you were referring to me? I thought you meant that other guy named...Jaune." Yeah okay. That sounded really stupid now that he said it out loud. "Why are we asking me again?"

"You came up with that ingenious idea to take down a full-grown Deathstalker man! Surely you have some kind of plan to get us outta this mess." Sun clapped him hard in the back and he almost stumbled forward.

"Right…" What had he gotten himself into? He had simply been trying to make sure people didn't die. He hadn't been trying to default himself to leader of the group. What the Hell did he know? He had to think of something quick though. They were all looking at him expectantly. Just spit out the first thing that came to mind. They would realize he was incompetent and go back to figuring it out themselves. "So...the headmaster gave us three options. Who says we only have to pick one though?"

They all looked at him like he had grown another head for a second before he quickly continued on. "Look, there's twenty of us. There's no reason we can't split up and still survive this. I think someone should take a small team and lead them to intercept the others that are coming to save us. They can even lure some of the Grimm away that would otherwise be swarming the rest of us." Sure, that sounded like a horrible enough plan. Now they would all just ignore him.

"What would be the point of that?" Someone asked and before Jaune could do so much as shrug Pyrrha cut in with her scroll held up.

"He said he cut off our teammate's scrolls. Ours are still receiving a connection though. We can still communicate amongst ourselves using the walkie function. Once that team finds the others we can relay our situation and even coordinate a strategy with them. If we play it right we might even be able to pincer some of the Grimm between both groups. That must be what Jaune was aiming for."

"That makes sense."

"Ingenious! How did you even realize that, Jaune?" Uh...they were aware that they came up with that on their own, right?

"I'll lead that group!" Sun stepped forward as he volunteered himself for the role. "As a Faunus I should be able to detect the others a little more readily." Just after he spoke, three others volunteered to join him and their team was formed. They took off only a second later to cover as much ground as possible.

Jaune stared after them as they scaled the canyon with an open mouth. They did not just actually do that, did they? No one was supposed to take his idea seriously.

"What about the rest of us, Jaune?" He turned back to them to see them even more hopeful than before. They were all seriously expecting him to come up with the rest.

"Okay then..." Might as well try and keep them alive as long as possible if it came to this. "...while Sun and them do that it'll be up to the others to mount a defence here as best they can. I say that we should duck and hide amongst the vines while picking off the the Grimm that drop in with Dust rounds." That sounded nice and safe. He wouldn't even have to contribute seeing as he didn't have a ranged weapon attached to his sword.

"He's got a great point. This canyon offers a lot of protection and we should be able to confuse them by moving amongst the vines and striking at them from the shadows. If what the headmaster said is true then the Grimm are going to be running straight for him. Hopefully they'll be too distracted to be checking every little nook and cranny for us." Pyrrha once again filled in better reasons for his plan and he groaned internally as they all praised him yet again.

"Should we send a team after the headmaster as well then?" Someone else asked him expectantly.

"Sure." He shrugged. If they were that determined to supply the ideas and thank him for them than he might as well go along with it at this point. "We should probably just send our best couple fighters. No point in sending someone he is just going to kill right away." By that last sentence he was referring to himself of course.

"I have already detected where his signal is coming from. I shall lead the two of us down there." Penny suddenly spoke and Jaune nodded. He had expected Penny would be one of the two to go. He didn't know how strong the others were but none of them likely held a candle to Pyrrha. She was undoubtedly the other one who should go.

"Who's going to direct us while the two of you are down there?" Someone asked and Jaune tilted his head in confusion. What did she mean by that?

"I'll take charge up here." Pyrrha declared as she stepped forward. Murmurs spread as the other leaders recognized her.

"Wait, what?" If Pyrrha was staying up here then who was going after Shirou Schnee with Penny?

"Come on, Jaune! Let us go and achieve victory!" Penny whooped as she grabbed Jaune by the wrist and began dragging him away.

"Wait, wait! Penny! Why am I going with you?" He didn't understand how things had ended up this way.

"Good luck Jaune!" Pyrrha called after him. Wait a second! It was supposed to be her! Not him!

"You ask the strangest questions, Jaune!" Penny jumped to the next vine down and pulled him down with her. He barely managed to land properly behind her. "You said the two strongest should go after Mr Schnee. You and I are clearly the two strongest."

"I'm afraid I don't follow." How was it possible that not just Penny but everyone up there thought he was stronger than Pyrrha Nikos? Thee Pyrrha Nikos, four time winner of the Mistral Regional Tournament!

"You and I killed the strongest Grimm previously. May I add we did so effortlessly while the others struggled to so much as cause them any damage. Ergo we are the strongest pair amongst our peers." Penny stated this all matter-of-factly and Jaune's eye twitched.

What she said may have been true but it had been nothing more than dumb luck on his end. They probably would've figured something out even if he hadn't intervened. It was apparently too late to change their minds now.

As they descended into the darkness below he heard the sounds of fighting break out overhead. Whether he was ready for it or not, Shirou's true test had begun.

The deeper they descended the less light they received from the moon and stars. He hadn't realized how bright it had appeared before until he had suddenly lost it. As it got too hard for him to even see his own hand in front of his face he pulled out his scroll and turned on the flashlight. A moment later Penny did the same.

"How far down do we have to go?" Now that he thought about it, how was it that Penny was tracking him anyways? She had said she had locked onto his signal but how exactly was she doing that? He could probably ask her but decided to just chalk it up to her Semblance or something similar. Really, he didn't even know why he still let things surprise him after everything he had been through.

"I believe he is on the canyon floor. We have to descend for a while yet." The vine they were currently walking on spiralled upwards and Penny tilted her gaze down in an attempt to find one that would lead them deeper.

"I hope he has some kind of light prepared. Unless he's secretly a Faunus or something he's not going to be able to see down there either." Jaune used his light to help her look and they finally located one about ten metres down. The vines were getting more and more scarce the further they descended it would seem.

"Hang on, Jaune." Penny's sword flew above them and buried themselves in a vine over their heads. He wrapped an arm around her waist and they stepped off together. The strings attached to her swords held them suspended in the air and after a second they began to unwind, lowering them deeper into the canyon. They touched down on the vine they had just seen earlier and continued to follow it. This one bent downwards at a steep angle and if Jaune had to guess would take them all the way to their destination.

"Do you have a strategy or anything for taking this guy on?" Jaune asked as he ambled carefully forward. He supposed they should be sprinting full force after this guy but he really didn't want to trip and fall off this thing. That would be kind of counter-productive.

"I am unaware of Mr Schnee's combat capabilities. I will analyse him first and begin an assault in earnest when I am more certain of his abilities." Penny continued to walk at a more natural pace ahead of him and she was beginning to put some distance between them.

"You don't really think we're capable of beating him, do you? I mean, I know this sounds bad since it was my idea but he's some kind of renowned swordsman. I don't like our odds." What other choice did they have though? A lot of people were going to die if he didn't hold up his end. That was a ton of pressure considering it was his plan they were running with. What if the survivors blamed and hated him? Before he thought about things like that he had to make sure he was among the survivors of course.

"We do not have to defeat Mr Schnee. Our objective is to disable his scroll. I am confident in my abilities to achieve this task!" Penny flexed and Jaune felt a little of the tension leave his body. If she was this confident then maybe he should just trust in her? She was clearly incredibly strong. Maybe they actually had a chance. Still, if he didn't have to fight he wasn't going to. He would save that for when they confronted Shirou though.

Finally, something that looked like ground came into sight. It was only until they got right up to it that Jaune realized it wasn't the floor of the canyon at all. It was hundreds of little white roots overlapping one another and forming a web that spanned across the entire visible surface. "What are these things?"

"They are the roots to the vines." Penny confirmed what he had thought just a moment ago.

"Is he still beneath these?" He didn't see a single way to proceed further down.

"He is." Penny flexed her fingers and her swords spun around above the before burrowing into the roots around them and forming a small circle around the two of them.

He saw where this was going. "Penny! Please wai-" He never finished that sentence as her swords sawed the roots apart and cut a perfect circle around them open. The roots they were standing on fell away and they went with them.

Damn it, Penny! Jaune mentally screamed this in his mind as he was again clinging to her as the tumbled in the air. Fortunately for him they didn't fall far this time before they crashed onto the hard rock floor.

He groaned in pain as he stumbled to his feet and patted himself down. Thankfully his Aura was as large as it was. Still, he couldn't afford to waste it on stupid things like this. He needed every drop of it he could get.

"Fascinating." Penny mumbled and Jaune finally bothered to take in his surroundings. Fascinating...was right. They were now in the deepest level of the canyon and by all means it should have been pitch-black down here. This was not the case at all. Hanging from the roots that formed a ceiling above them were little bulbs that were glowing with natural yellow light.

"What are these things?" He asked in awe as he stared up at them.

His spine shivered in fear when a voice that wasn't Penny's responded. "They're filled with naturally phosphorus Dust that reacts to Aura nearby it. Just by getting close to them they light up." Shirou Schnee stood a small ways away on what looked like a small island with only a small pathway connecting it. Surrounding the island was nothing but darkness as it descended too far down for Jaune to see.

"Miss Nikos!" Penny held up her scroll as she utilized the walkie feature. "We have located the enemy and are about to engage him in combat. What is your status? Over."

After several moments of silence Pyrrha's voice crackled over both their scrolls. "We're doing fine so far. Most of the Grimm we're picking off with dust rounds as they fall into the canyon. I think most of us are running low on ammunition and are going to have to switch to physical combat soon. Over." At least no one had died yet.

Penny nodded at Pyrrha's response. "Mr Wukong? Status? Over."

"Busy running! Can't talk!" His voice crackled over almost immediately. He sounded ragged and out of breath. There must have been a lot of Grimm after them. "Do we really have to say 'over'?"

"Alright! Let us do this Jaune!" Penny completed ignored Sun's question and slipped her scroll away before purposefully strolling over to Shirou.

"Penny, wait!" Jaune ran around in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder, halting her progress. He leaned in close to her ear so he could talk without Shirou overhearing. "Let me talk to him first. Maybe I can convince him to stop this without having to fight."

Penny tilted her head and he could swear he heard the gears in her head whirl as she processed his request. "I predict that you have a less than one percent chance of being able to change his mind."

"But there is a chance." Jaune patted her shoulder and she nodded. "Then let me try."

"I would like to state that I am against this idea, but I shall give you the benefit of the doubt. That is what best friends do after all." Penny finally relented and Jaune surprised them both by giving her a quick hug.

"Thanks! Just leave him to me!" He turned back to Shirou who had yet to move from his spot and hadn't said anything since making himself known.

Slowly Jaune approached him. Every step echoed across the canyon and struck like thunder in his ears. The otherwise silence was unsettling. He didn't know what Penny used to calculate her statistic but he really couldn't afford to dwell on his abysmal odds. Besides, he had no doubt that if he tried to actually fight this guy the chances of him dying were one hundred percent. He would rather take his chances with conversation first.

He came up to the walkway that would lead him to Shirou's island. The land they were standing on cut away for the length of the canyon and formed a steep cliff that disappeared into nothing. The walkway was barely wide enough for him to walk across and he felt a sense of vertigo take over as he glared at it.

With a deep breath he started across and once he reached the halfway point Shirou finally spoke again. "If you come any farther I will assume you are prepared for combat." Jaune stopped hard and looked away from his feet and up into Shirou's eyes. They were squinted closed as always and he couldn't read any expression in them. His voice had been cold but his mouth was curled in that same creepy grin he always had. His katana was unsheathed and held in his left hand, pointed directly downwards. "I must admit though, I knew it would be you in the end that would come to face me."

Jaune narrowed his eyes. Why was it this guy seemed to think he knew him so well? If he knew anything about him he would know that he had actually tried to get out of this. Before he could ask though, Shirou continued. "You and I are pretty similar, Mr Arc. I can tell just by looking at you." There it was again. Ozpin had said the same thing earlier. No matter how Jaune looked at it they were nothing alike.

"You look like you disagree." His face must have given him away again. "That's alright though. You might not understand it yet but one day you will. Well, if I don't kill you right here that is. I confess, I'm a little disappointed that I was right. You should turn around while you have the chance." Finally, Jaune saw an opportunity to talk.

"If you don't want to kill me then let's end this whole game right here. Just shut that damn Grimm whistle off and let's all fly back to Lambent. No one here has to die."

"Now why would I do that? That would defeat the whole purpose of this game." Shirou raised his right arm up and Jaune saw his scroll attached to it like a watch.

"What is the purpose of this game then?" He had no way of convincing Shirou to back off if he didn't know what he was even testing them on.

"Several things, actually. Are you sure you have time to just stand around and ask me all these questions? Every second you waste is another second someone up there really might die." Jaune didn't respond back and just glared at him as he waited for his answer. With a short sigh, he continued. "You young Hunters-in-training don't understand anything. You grow up in the safety of the kingdoms, training against other students and not against the true threat out there. What little Grimm you do encounter are young and naive. You kill them and suddenly you all get cocky and think you're ready to take on the world. You don't know what it's like to have your pride ripped out from your very core and watch helplessly as you lose control of the situation."

"Why give us options then?" Jaune was trying not to show it but Shirou's words had cut him a little more deeply than even he wanted to admit.

"It was just another way to simulate control. Control that you don't really have. Stay and fight? Run away? Confront me? They're all hopeless. You will all realize that as the night goes on. Those of you that survive will, anyways. When dawn comes around your spirits will be broken. Only once that has happened can I truly begin moulding you into the strongest band of Hunters this world has ever seen." Ozpin had been right! This place was twisted beyond what Jaune could have possibly imagined. He felt anger boil in his stomach and his teeth grit together so hard he could hear them.

"You are already different though, Jaune. That is why I am going to give you this offer." Shirou continued talking and Jaune instinctively took a step back. He hadn't expect to be called by his first name. "If you come over here I will offer you my protection. You don't have to fight and you don't have to die. Just stand here and watch."

Jaune's mouth went dry and his shoulders slacked as all the anger vanished from his body only to be replaced by confusion. "Why?" It was the only word he was capable of asking.

"Because I can tell just by looking at you. You have no pride." No! He was wrong about that! Jaune had some pride. He was proud of his ancestors. He was proud to carry on their family name...who was he kidding? That was their pride. None of that was truly his own. His pride had been ripped from him long ago. Just like Shirou had said.

"So what do you say, Jaune?" Shirou extended his hand and Jaune stared at it uncertainly. He couldn't abandon his friends and teammates. It wasn't even an option he was willing to consider. If Shirou was as similar to Jaune as he claimed to be though, then why did he assume Jaune would take it? There was without a doubt something fundamentally different about them.

"Weiss told me a little about you growing up." Jaune started talking slowly, meticulously even, as he tried to form the thoughts while his mouth was moving. "If you think I'm as similar to you as you claim why don't you prove it?"

"Hmm...you want to know about my childhood? Why not. If you want to talk, then let's talk." Shirou's grin got a little bit bigger as he appeared to be swept away in nostalgia. "If Weiss told you some things then surely she told you that my father sent my mother away while she was pregnant for me?" Jaune nodded. "She had been born and raised in Vacuo, you see. Father wanted to keep her close by though, so he sent us to the suburbs in Atlas. He sent her a small sum of money every month. Money that was supposedly enough to pay for the place and raise me by herself. We were supposed to live without a care in the world."

"He never came and checked for himself, though. Not once did he come to visit." Jaune figured Shirou was talking about something rather bitter but you never would have guessed it just listening to the tone of his voice. He was talking as if they were all fond memories. "It was a really bad neighbourhood, you see. When I was only a toddler, a local gang somehow caught word that money was being sent to our address. They came and ousted us, ripped us from our home. We were forced out onto the streets. Mother wrote many letters to the Schnee Dust Company but I only found out later that father never received a single one. He had no idea what was happening to us."

"Mother started working multiple jobs to make ends meet. It was rough for her but she always worked her hardest. Winters in Atlas are brutal though and one year she fell gravely ill. I was only six years old. I set out to find work in her place but you can imagine how hard it is for a child to find a legitimate means to earn money. By chance I stumbled across a very specialized establishment. One where they pitted children to beat one another for betting and their own twisted amusement. The pay was decent, especially if you were unique like me. Apparently the adults there got off on watching a little half-Vacuo boy get his teeth kicked in by kids sometimes six years older."

"Summer came around and mother hadn't gotten any better. If anything it seemed like she was getting worse. I used my money to pay for medication and even managed to find a doctor that would look at her. Turns out, she had caught some kind of disease for which there was no known cure. I was too young to learn the name of it and never bothered looking it up. He gave her a year to live at best. I was seven when we received this news. I couldn't accept it. I started going to the fights more often. Every day I got kicked around until I couldn't move. Every day I came home to mother with broken bones and new bruises. Do you know what she would say to me?"

"'Son, you are a Schnee. Schnee's don't have to get into fights over something petty like money. Take pride in yourself and become a good man. Mother will get better on her own. Just worry about your studies.'"

Shirou snorted as if it was funny. "What studies did I have? We couldn't afford to send me to school. I had to work. She wasn't going to live if I didn't work. Every morning, mother would remind me of my heritage and to take pride in my name. Every evening I would have that pride stomped out of my body as I fought just to make enough money to keep us both breathing. This continued until I was ten years old. The winter had been bad that year. Finally, the illness claimed my mother's life and I was left completely alone in the world."

"I was just wandered the streets for days until I collapsed from the cold and the exhaustion. I didn't see the point to anything anymore. If the outcome had already been inevitable why had I worked so hard to prevent it? I simply didn't know what else to do. So I resolved myself to die there on the street, with snow piling up on top of my body."

"What a kick in the teeth it was that father's car happened to be passing down that street. They brought me to the Schnee Manor and father became aware of everything. The men that ran and participated in the illegal child fights that had supported me for years were arrested. The gang that had evicted my mother and me were dismantled brutally. Father made all this happen with only a couple calls. He then promised me that he would take care of me. He wept and wept as he apologized for everything I had gone through. He told me that I would never have a want in the world. He would make sure of it."

Do you know what I did when he told me this?" Jaune shook his head. "I laughed! I laughed and laughed for days." He spread his arms out and his grin stretched across his whole face. Jaune almost averted his eyes out of instinct. "What a feeling that was! I didn't know something like laughter could feel so great. How ironic the whole thing was. I got beat every day to try and create a better life for myself and my mother when if I simply would have just let her die from the beginning, father would have come running to pull me out of that Hell. I would've killed her myself if I had realized that."

"And so there you are. Does that answer all your burning questions about me?" Shirou once again extended his hand towards Jaune. "If it does, I would like your answer."

Jaune stood in silence for a few moments as he took in everything Shirou had just told him. Finally, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "Oh man, that's a load off my mind." Shirou raised an eyebrow at him and Jaune grinned back in response. "I was really afraid that after I heard what you had to say, I would realize that we really are alike. Now though, I can tell you beyond a shadow of doubt though that you and I are nothing alike. There's no way in Hell I'm the same as a bastard who was glad his mother died."

Shirou's hand lowered back down to his side and his usual smile twisted into a confused frown. "Please do elaborate."

Jaune shrugged. Why the Hell not? They were already sharing life stories. He also now knew what to say to convince Shirou to end this whole thing. No one had to die...almost no one. "You've heard of my family before?"

"Of course I have. The Arcs are famous war heroes throughout history. They were often integral in determining the outcome of many major battles." Shirou responded matter-of-factly.

Jaune nodded and smiled as he thought about his ancestors. "When I was a little kid, my dad used to tell me about all the heroic things they did. I looked up to them. I wanted nothing more than to become a great Hunter and warrior like they all were. Like what my dad was. He would always tell me that one day it would be my turn to pick up Crocea Mors and that I would change history with it. His favorite thing to tell me was 'Just be confident Jaune. All a girl looks for in a man is confidence.' I took those words to heart."

"Those were his words to me after all. I have seven sisters so getting individual attention from our parents could be a little hard sometimes. But if it was about my ancestors, dad would always take time to talk directly to me. It was my duty to continue their legacy as the man of the family." That was a little chauvinistic now that he thought about it. His sisters were never expected to become Huntresses. Kind of ironic considering the strongest people he knew were all girls.

"The village treated me the same way. Everywhere I went they would tell me some tidbit about my family. They would always tell me they had high hopes for me and they couldn't wait for me to return one day a hero. I couldn't wait until I started training to become a Hunter. I was ten years old when just before dad left for a mission he told me that when he got back he would start my training. I was so excited I could barely sleep that night. I waited and waited for him to come home. When he finally did...well, he wasn't the same."

Jaune sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair. He hated thinking about this part. "Dad was injured really badly on his mission. His life as a Hunter...it was over. He had such a hollow look in his eyes for weeks. I would've done anything to take away that look from him; to make him go back to the strong, confident, reliable person that he used to be. So one day I went into his room and made him a promise. I told him I would become the strongest Hunter on Remnant and make him proud. After I said that, emotion returned to his eyes for the first time in weeks. Only it wasn't what I was expecting. He got angry. He looked at me dead in the eyes and told me: 'You will die and fool's death like every single Arc before you.' Those words felt like a huge slap in the face."

"Dad started telling me stories about my ancestors again. Now though, instead of heroic tales of their great deeds they had become brutal lessons of their gruesome deaths. Those stories scared the crap out of me. He used such vivid details it would give me nightmares. It goes without saying that he never started training me and he refused to enrol me into combat school. Not that I likely would've wanted to go anyways. It wasn't just him that changed. The entire village quit giving me their words of expectation. Instead they talked to me like they were walking around landmines. Every conversation was awkward and forced. Eventually I quit even wanting to go out into town. I became this weak, awkward, terrified person; exactly like what dad wanted. Someone like me could never become a Hunter and instead I would live a long, peaceful life."

He felt a hand rest comfortingly on his shoulder and he turned to see Penny giving him a nervous smile. He had almost forgotten she was here she had been so silent this whole time. He patted the hand she had placed on his shoulder and turned back to Shirou.

"Just before I turned seventeen a man appeared one evening. He claimed to be an acquaintance of my dad's and he wanted to see him. The moment my dad saw him though he got angry and started yelling for him to leave. So he left. I was curious though so I followed after him. It turns out he was one of the people my dad saved on his last mission. He had spent a long time trying to track him down so he could give him his thanks. The smile and the tears in the man's face as he told me this...it changed me."

"I suddenly knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a Hunter. I didn't care how scary it was. I didn't care that it would lead to my death. I realized right then that if my death could allow someone to continue to survive and make that expression then I would gladly give my life. Now here I am. Ready to die if it means I can protect someone. That is why I'll never take your offer. That's what makes you and me so different." Jaune instinctively stood a little straighter as he finished and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Sorry my story wasn't as long and boring as yours." He added as an afterthought.

Shirou's creepy grin returned when Jaune finished and it looked like he was holding back the urge to laugh. "You're more of a twisted kid than I thought." He spoke full of mirth. "Okay then, I have another offer for you. This one may be more to your liking." He paused for several seconds before continuing. "Come over here and allow me to kill you. Just stand still and I'll stab you in the heart. If you do that I'll end this whole game right now. Everyone else gets to go back to Lambent for a good night's rest."

Was he being...serious? Jaune could never really tell with this guy. If he really meant that offer than wasn't that something he should definitely take? He just got done saying how he would gladly die if it meant others would be able to live. His resolve would look really half-assed if he backed away from Shirou's proposition now.

At the same time, just handing his life over wasn't exactly how he had planned to go either. He had always pictured it as some heroic last stand while his teammates fled for their lives. It would be a spur of the moment decision, one he made as he realized there was no way for them all to escape unless someone sacrificed himself. He would hesitantly step forward for that role. The others would cry and thank him as they fled. It all sounded really poetic in his head.

It was kind of the opposite of what Shirou suggested. He was just supposed to stand there and let himself get stabbed? That sounded...really lame. Did the way it happened though really matter? If the outcome was half of his teammates being spared than it went without saying that he should do this. He still was really young though...he had also pictured himself being much older when this happened. He wanted to marry a beautiful woman, have children, teach them what it meant to be an Arc. If he gave himself up here he would never be able to experience any of that.

If he didn't give himself up here...as many as forty others might never get to experience any of that happiness either. How could he possibly weigh his life against forty others? Theirs undoubtably held way more value than his own. Even if he looked at them individually they would all contribute far more to society as Hunters than a sham like himself would.

He...he had to do this.

He really, really didn't want this to be the way he died but when he looked at it as he just had then it was undoubtably the best choice, wasn't it?

"Tick tock tick tock, Mr Arc. What is your answer? I really hope after that little tale you told you aren't getting cold feet now." Shirou's voice was taunting and full of mirth. Jaune just wanted to punch him in the face and knock that smug grin right off his face. Instead he forced himself to calm down and let out a sigh of defeat. His clenched hands unfurled and he prepared himself to do what he had to.

"No way!" Penny's grip on Jaune's shoulder tightened as she cut him off and pulled him slightly backwards.

"Penny." Jaune took a big breath and tried to keep his voice as steady as possible. He had to appear strong. He couldn't let her know how terrified he was. "We should consider this. There's no guarantee we can win. What if he kills both of us while we're trying to fight him? We would die and the others would have no chance. This way prevents the most deaths."

"I will not accept it!" Penny remained adamant. "No one up there would agree with this plan. You are the one inspiring everyone right now. If you die they will lose hope." She was surely exaggerating. There was no way that was true.

"An interesting proposition. Want to test it?" Shirou's grin had grown wicked, almost calculating. It looked like the conversation was playing out exactly as he planned. Without elaborating any further, Shirou lifted his scroll to his mouth and began talking into it. "Attention all leaders. Mr Arc and myself have come to terms to end this game. All Mr Arc has to do is allow me to kill him. If he does you all get to go back to bed. I just figured I would get a consensus from the rest of you. If even one person agrees then this whole thing can end right now. If not, the game will continue at your own peril. So what do you say?"

That was it? Only one person had to say they wanted him dead and they could all leave? Surely there was one amongst them that would agree to this. He heaved a big sigh. He supposed this was it. Any less regrets he wanted to reflect on? He'd already gotten his first kiss thanks to Blake.

Blake...damn, he would miss her. He had never gotten as close to someone as he had gotten to her. When he had been growing up it had always been his sisters that made all the friends. Any boy that had tried to befriend him and actually just been using him in order to get closer to one of his sisters. It had been really lonely growing up in that regard. The only connections he had ever formed had been with his family. Blake was his first real friend.

She would be beyond pissed when she found out what he was about to do. At least he would already be dead so she wouldn't be able to kick his ass. He kind of felt bad for whoever it was that inevitably voted him to die. That person was probably going to get a piece of her mind...and her foot. At least Weiss should be a little pleased about it. She would get her wish and be made leader with him out of the way. He just really hoped she would do everything she could to protect Blake and Ruby. Not like he had done a great job of that. His first mission out here and he was about to just throw his life away.

His scroll crackled to life as someone turned on their mic and he closed his eyes. Here it came. Someone was about to choose him to die. It had taken them awhile but he wasn't surprised about that. No one had likely wanted to be the one to vote him to die. Someone must have realized how hopeless their situation was though and now the moment was upon him.

Fear gripped his heart and caused his breath to hitch. He wasn't ready for this! He couldn't back out now either though. He had to do this...for all of them. He just really hoped Shirou made it quick.

"Are you fucking retarded?!" Sun's voice screamed into the scroll so loud it caused Jaune to jump in surprise. "There's no way in Hell anyone is going to say that they want Jaune to die for us! We're training to become Hunters damnit! We would all rather die fighting than allow someone to sacrifice himself for us!"

"Sun is right!" Pyrrha's voice crackled in immediately after. "Don't even think about handing yourself over to him, Jaune! We all need you!"

"Just kick his ass, Jaune!"

"Don't give yourself up for us, man! We can hold out until you win!"

"We believe in you, Jaune!"

He couldn't believe it. They all truly believed he had a chance? He clenched his hands in frustration. He was such an idiot. He kept making the same mistakes over and over again. What he had just tried to do was no different than when he had lured the Chimera off.

Shirou started to chuckle and Jaune looked at him in surprise. "You have a lot to learn about people with pride. They don't realize how hopeless their situation is yet like you do. Once the bodies start to drop though, they'll change their tune. Though, my offer won't be on the table anymore when that happens."

Jaune let out a long sigh and pulled out his sword and expanded his shield. If it came to this he had no choice but to fight. They were all depending on him. He had no right not to give it his all now. "Sorry Penny. I really thought this was the best way."

"It is okay, Jaune!" Penny patted him on the back. "This is why we have friends. To help keep us on the right track." Yeah, he supposed she was right. He was really lucky to have so many people that he could call friends now.

"It would appear the time for chatting is done." Shirou raised his katana and pointed it directly at Jaune and Penny. "If you are prepared to die than come."

"I'll try to create an opening by fighting him up close. You use your swords to try and snipe his scroll. We can adjust our strategy as we go. Sound good?" The hilt of Shirou's sword looked like it had dust containers on it; Exactly like Weiss' blade. He doubted their fighting styles were anything alike though.

"I will follow your lead." Penny assured him.

"Alright, then let's do this." His muscles tensed as he prepared to charge forward.

His part of the battle was about to begin. He just really hoped it wasn't as hopeless as he felt it was.

* * *

 **AN:** Would like to start this note by apologizing to everyone that was expecting this chapter to be completely full of action. I had initially planned for it to be action-packed in the second half but the length of the dialogue grew well beyond what I had expected and it ended up becoming the majority of the chapter. I can promise you though that next chapter will be full of combat as many characters have their time to shine. Hopefully it is worth your wait.

Shirou's past was heavily inspired by the backstory of Serpico from the Japanese manga Berserk. I think a lot of the similarities are still there but the end result and their personalities ended up drastically different. I hope you guys didn't find it too boring as I was really reluctant to put that much backstory into an OC. Figured I needed to give him at least a little more characterization though. It also should be a one-time thing OC-wise as I don't have any others that are going to have as nearly as big a role as he has.

Jaune meanwhile continues to show off his inner-Emiya as I give him his own backstory too. His ended up much shorter than Shirou's but I wanted to at least try and explain his mentality and willingness to sacrifice himself throughout the story. I doubt his canon history is anything that dark but seriously, how did someone that comes from a prestigious family of Hunters end up with no training or necessary knowledge to survive against Grimm.

Anyways...Next time, things begin to look dire as everyone struggles to keep one another alive.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 12 - Synthetic_

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

* * *

Jaune sprinted forward in a charge, immediately closing the gap between himself and Shirou Schnee. He wasn't sure about how strong this guy really was but if they were going to have any chance he was going to have to put every effort he could into creating an opening as quickly as possible. He was going to need to draw on everything Blake had managed to teach him and put his all into this.

He reached him and swung his sword in as strong a horizontal slash as he could possibly muster. Shirou merely held his sword vertically and blocked the slash. A loud clang echoed throughout the canyon and Jaune's arm seized in pain from the sudden stop. Shirou's sword didn't even teeter from the blow and remained perfectly still in his hands.

Shirou pushed back, deflecting Jaune's sword to the side and staggering him from the force. As he stumbled to recover the gleam of Shirou's sword swinging at him caught his eye and he held his shield up in front of him. Shirou's sword smacked into it and sparks were sent flying as both his sword and Jaune's shield were knocked backwards from the force of the blow.

His eyebrows raised slightly, showing his shock at the sturdiness of Jaune's shield. Jaune didn't hesitate to use this as an opening. He jumped forward and stabbed at Shirou's gut while his sword was still positioned well above his head and out of range to intercept the strike.

Shirou merely twisted his body to the side and brought his sword down towards Jaune's head. Once again Jaune brought his shield up and deflected the blow with another burst of sparks and an echoing clang. Jaune pivot on his foot and swung horizontally again. Shirou repositioned his sword and swung it up to meet Jaune's mid-swing.

Their swords clashed and deflected one another. Only a second later they both swung forward again. Once more their swords clashed and once again they were both knocked away. Jaune locked his feet in the ground and gave a determined growl as he thrust forward yet again. Shirou blocked this strike with the broad end of his katana and movement stopped temporarily as each one tried to overpower the other.

Jaune took just a brief opportunity to look into Shirou's face to still see him grinning. It didn't even look like he was trying. This frustrated him to no end. Sure, he knew he was way outclassed here but he would have liked to make him at least look like he was taking this seriously. Lives were on the line with this fight.

He pushed his sword to the left and both their swords slid away from one another and to their respective sides. Jaune stepped in and swung his shield forward in an attempt to batter through Shirou's defence. At the very least he wanted to make him give some ground. Neither one of them had taken a single step backwards since this exchange had begun. Shirou held up his right hand and just before Jaune's shield crashed into it he saw his palm glow bright blue as his Aura began shielding him.

With a dull thud Jaune's shield met Shirou's Aura. Jaune swung his sword forward and Shirou's met his. They clashed and held in place as each man tried to overpower the other. Shirou clearly had far more upper-body strength however and after only several moments he began pushing both Jaune's shield and sword backwards.

Jaune grit his teeth and dug his feet even more deeply into the ground. He wasn't going to give this guy any ground! He had to stand fast. Instead, he bent himself backwards as Shirou continued to push back on his defences. Shirou stood almost directly over him he had forced Jaune to bend back so far. Sweat rolled off his forehead and into his eyes as he struggled to maintain his position but he couldn't even wipe them like this. Instead he fought to glare at Shirou through the sting of his own sweat and continued to push as hard as he could.

The sound of something whizzing through the air reached his ears and all at once Shirou leapt backwards and Jaune stumbled forward at the unexpected shift in weight. Penny's sword flew right past his face and stabbed into the ground a couple metres away.

He sent her a quick glare to see her standing with her hands flexed in front of her and a deep frown on her own face. Seriously, what had taken her so long? He had been in a real bind there for a second. Her swords pulled themselves out from the ground and flew back to her side. She turned back to Shirou and Jaune did the same.

Shirou now stood on the edge of the pillar they were fighting on. If he took one more step backwards he would fall into the darkness below. For half-a-second Jaune just considered charging into him and knocking them both off the side of the cliff. He had to stop and tell himself that was a stupid idea. Shirou appeared incredibly calculating and it wouldn't surprise Jaune one bit if he wanted him to do that. No, he would keep the same strategy as before.

He had held his ground fairly well during that first exchange and now he and Penny both had a more rough idea of what he was capable of. As long as Jaune didn't let Shirou overpower him again they might be able to win with this strategy. At least that was what he hoped.

He raised his shield and sword as he prepared to charge again and out of the corner of his eye saw Shirou's thumb twist his hilt-guard around. He had six colors on the edge of his hilt: light blue, dark blue, red, green, yellow, and white. He stopped it on the red canister and his blade began glowing as it was filled with Dust inside.

Jaune didn't know anything about Shirou's Semblance or if his sword was much different from Weiss'. When she used her red Dust it made the sword very hot and gave it incredible piercing power. When she used it to modify her runes it created a heated surface. Shirou didn't likely have runes unless all Schnee's had the same Semblance which meant he was likely hoping to pierce through Jaune's shield. He was in for a surprise if he thought a little Dust was going to let him do that though. Jaune's shield had withstood the blast of a Chimera. A little fire-based Dust was nothing compared to that.

With this thought it mind, Jaune charged forward once again. As he did Shirou placed both hands on the hilt of his sword and brought it high over his head. He placed one foot well in front of the other and his body tensed up. He was counting on this strike to bring Jaune down. Jaune smirked and brought his shield in front of himself as he reached Shirou. He would block this strike and make his move when Shirou's sword was deflected. That was the plan.

Shirou's sword swung down and Jaune's shield blocked it...what he hadn't counted on was for the explosion that followed immediately after. Jaune was enveloped in flames and his ears began ringing as the sound of the blast washed over him. He was sent flying backwards and crashed onto the ground a metre away. He had definitely not expected that. His katana had reacted more like Cardin's mace rather than Weiss' sword. It was just lucky he hadn't tried to meet Shirou's sword with his own. He'd have been barbequed.

He groaned as he lifted himself off his back and into a sitting position. His Aura had mostly protected what his shield hadn't but if he took another couple hits like that he would be done for. His vision focused back in and the ringing subsided just as Shirou broke free from the smoke that had been left by the explosion. His sword was swinging down and right towards the still prone Jaune.

Oh shit! Reacting on instinct he rolled to the side just before Shirou's sword hit him and instead it struck the ground where he had just been. It exploded again on contact and the force once again sent Jaune flying through the air. He hit the ground and bounced once before skidding to the edge of the cliff. Had there been just a little more force behind that blast he would've been knocked clean off.

He quickly attempted to stumble to his feet before Shirou could charge him again. He really would be knocked off this time if he hung out this close to the edge. It took him several moments as his balance was still a little off after being tossed around and by the time he had stable footing Shirou was predictably after him.

Two of Penny's swords flew through the air and right towards him, forcing him to stop mid-charge and dodge out of the way. Her swords stopped short and spun around several times before locking in on him again and whizzing forward.

Shirou swung his katana and it clashed with Penny's first sword. They clanged together before an explosion destroyed her blade and sent it scattering in numerous broken pieces. Only a second later and he did it to her other sword. His face and stance then shifted towards Penny and Jaune saw her take a small step back.

He charged forward again. He didn't know what he could do against a sword that exploded just by grazing you but he couldn't allow Penny to become Shirou's focus either. Their current strategy was dependent on her ranged abilities and that fell apart if Shirou targeted her.

As he ran he was hit by a sudden thought. How was Shirou not affected by the explosion? It was blowing up right next to him too but he didn't appear the least bit stunned every time it went off. There must be a reason to that.

He skid to a stop and slipped his shield off his arm and gripped it by the edge. Time to put this theory to the test. With a heavy grunt he chucked his shield right at his opponent. Shirou's head whipped around as the movement likely caught his eyes and on what was probably instinct swung his sword upwards to deflect the shield.

It caught it just under the bottom and Jaune's shield was launched skywards as the explosion created a cone shape from the direction of Shirou's swing. His hunch had been right! If he could just fight Shirou while angling the explosions away from his body he stood a chance. That was going to take a lot of skill though and for the moment he was lacking his shield. He just had to trust his luck.

He closed the remaining distance between himself and Shirou and gripped his sword with both hands as he swung at Shirou with a upwards diagonal slash. Shirou blocked and just as Jaune predicted the explosion fired off to his right and away from him. Sure, it was still pretty hot and the ringing in his ear returned from being too close to the shockwave but he was unharmed otherwise.

He let out a victorious grin as Shirou's own smile faltered for half a second. Take that you smug bastard! Their swords disconnected and he took a step back and Shirou lunged forward and swung his sword down. Jaune stepped to the side. He was proud to admit he wasn't stupid enough to block if Shirou was the one swinging. As long as he only connected with Shirou's sword while he was the one pressing the attack he could somewhat control the direction of the explosions. He lost that advantage if he only did things like block.

Shirou's sword stopped mid-swing and switched from a vertical slash to a horizontal one without warning. Jaune sucked in his gut and leapt backwards as he barely dodged the unexpected shift in attack by a centimetre. That had been too close!

He jumped back forward and swung at Shirou again just as the older man switched the dial on his hilt guard. It landed on the green and before Jaune could stop it their swords clashed once again. He flinched and squeezed his eyes shut as he waited for whatever adverse effect it was that was coming.

...Nothing appeared to happen and they both pulled their swords back. Jaune hesitated for half-a-second before re-engaging Shirou in combat. Their swords clashed and created sparks but still it didn't seem like anything happened. In fact, Jaune's sword slightly overpowered Shirou and he pressed the attack in an effort to keep the momentum going. Their swords clashed three more times before Jaune finally realized what was happening.

His sword was starting to feel really heavy in his hands. At first he had just assumed it was battle fatigue but that didn't make sense seeing as he was still pumped full of adrenaline. No, Shirou's sword was making Jaune's heavier with every strike.

It was now unbearably hard to hold due to its incredible increase in weight and every muscle in his arms screamed in exertion as he tried to keep it hefted in the air. He couldn't drop and abandon it now. His shield was laying on the ground a distance away and if he became completely disarmed it would only be a matter of moments before Shirou made mincemeat of him.

Or would he? This idea was beyond nuts but he needed to do something quick. Shirou's sword swung at him horizontally and Jaune dropped his sword just as Shirou's passed under it. His sword fell on top of the katana and the increased weight sunk both of them to the ground with a loud thunk that splintered the rock surface they were fighting on.

Shirou stumbled forward from the unexpected shift and let out a grunt and Jaune jumped on him. Shirou shot straight up and attempted to pull Jaune off as the blonde grappled with him. He swung himself around so he was on Shirou's back and wrapped his legs around Shirou's waist and slung an arm under his left armpit in a poor attempt to keep him from flailing around and stabbing him while he clung to him. With his free hand he grabbed some of Shirou's slicked back white hair and pulled. Then he stretched his neck forward to bite down into his right shoulder. He wasn't exactly proud of this tactic but at this point he was willing to do whatever worked. To his great pleasure, he heard Shirou let out a yelp of pain as he tried and failed to debunk his unexpected passenger.

Shirou began thrashing a little more violently and Jaune doubted he was going to be able to hold on much longer. He really hoped Penny did something soon. Shirou stopped hard as several green flashes blinked to life in front of them. Penny's eight remaining swords had broken into pairs and were spinning rapidly in a circle. Four little green orbs had formed between them. Jaune knew what came next.

The orbs shown even brighter for a second before firing off as concentrated beams of Dust. Every single one of them was aimed directly at them. Shirou dropped backwards in an effort to dodge them and landed on his back...or rather, he landed on Jaune's back.

Jaune groaned in pain from the unexpected move and Shirou managed to elbow him in the ribs, knocking the wind from him and causing his grip to loosen. Shirou then rolled off of him and leapt to his feet while bringing his katana up to finish Jaune off for good while he was still stunned on the ground. He poised it with the blade pointed directly above and in between Jaune's eyes. Jaune could do nothing as his lungs still struggled for air and his arms and legs seized from the pain of the last couple blows. Shirou was really about to kill him and he couldn't so much as make a move in defence.

Penny's orbs flashed brightly once again before letting loose another barrage of beams. Shirou had no choice but to retreat from Jaune's prone form as he dodged and weaved around the deadly green matter. He turned his attention once more to Penny and began to charge her. Penny fired off another round but he was far too quick for her to effectively land anything even close to him. Instead her beams connected to the canyon walls around them and caused miniature explosions as they melted holes into the hardened rock. If they could just get one of those to connect with Shirou's scroll the game was as good as theirs.

Jaune glanced at his shield which wasn't even a full metre away from him and another idea came to mind. He rolled to his stomach and struggled to his knees. He scrambled for it and hefted it up in front of him. Hopefully Penny's Dust beams reacted similar to that Chimera's attack. Only one way to find out.

"Penny! Aim here!" Jaune ducked behind his shield as he placed one knee on the ground and angled it as best as he could guess for his plan to work. One of the pair of swords turned away from Shirou and pointed directly at him. It fired directly at him and when it struck his shield it ricocheted right off and flew at Shirou from the side.

Shirou stopped hard as the beam came at him from the unexpected angle and he ducked beneath it just in time. It flew over his head and it collided into one of the other beams that was just passing by his left. They sparked with energy and fizzled as both beams fed into one another and grew brighter and brighter. Jaune shielded his eyes just as they erupted in a blinding flash that enveloped Shirou completely.

Several seconds went by as the explosion gave way to dense smoke that he couldn't see through. Shirou didn't come bursting out of it and he couldn't hear him no matter how hard he listened.

Did that...do it?

It was crazy to think anyone would be standing after having been subjected to an explosion that powerful so close but Shirou was without a doubt someone far beyond ordinary.

"Jaune!" Penny jogged up to his side with her swords trailing just behind her, worry evident in her voice.

"I'm fine." He called back reassuringly as he stumbled to his feet and ambled over to his sword. He picked it up gingerly at first and was relieved to find it was back to its original weight. He didn't know any of the properties behind Shirou's katana but apparently the heavy-effect wasn't for very long.

"An excellent plan, Jaune. Mr Schnee should be stunned from the blast. I surmise that we can deactivate the whistle ourselves now. He should be incapable of resisting after that." Penny patted some of the dirt off his shoulder as she talked and he smiled gratefully back at her. The two of them had actually made a really solid pair. He hoped to work with her more in the future too. He didn't know why but he also had the feeling he shouldn't tell Blake that.

"You think I'm finished, do you?" Shirou's voice called out from the smoke full of mirth. He and Penny both whirled around in surprise just as the smoke started to clear. Shirou stood completely unharmed with a solid wall of ice right next to him. His katana had a light-blue glow as it was without a doubt filled with ice Dust from one of his other canisters. "I must admit Mr Arc, you are an incredibly interesting combatant. You realize how outclassed you are so you resort to all kinds of petty tactics."

Jaune took a step back in fear as Shirou's eyes finally opened wide enough for him to see into his bright-blue irises. Despite his smug grin and amused tone his eyes shone with unbridled hatred. Hatred that wasn't directed at anyone in particular but rather at the whole world around him. It was so terrifying and cold to look at that Weiss' own glares could only be called a summer breeze by comparison. "It reminds me a lot of what I used to have to do back when I was forced to fight children sometimes six years older than me and nearly twice as heavy. I would resort to every nasty trick in the book. Ever since I entered the world of Hunters though that type of fighting disappeared from my life. It's a little refreshing to come acrossed it once again. Thank you for that."

His sword made a clicking noise as he switched it to the yellow Dust canister. His sword began humming as electric Dust filled it now. "If you've got the tenacity to fight like that than I've clearly been taking you too lightly, Mr Arc."

Jaune chuckled nervously. "Is that so? I think you've been plenty hard on us really. No need to up the intensity." His voice cracked towards the end. Man, that sounded really lame but the look in Shirou's eyes right now terrified him to the core.

"Jaune, get behind me!" Penny said unnecessarily as she ran directly in front of him. All eight of her swords spun in a circle in front of her as she charged up one of her massive Dust attacks this time.

"Did you know Miss Penny that as a Schnee I'm required to know everything there is to know about Dust? How every individual type reacts when exposed to another? It is one of the things my brother and niece take pride in. They think that because we have this last name we should be responsible to know everything there is to know about it. I think that mentality is outlandish. I will admit however, it does come in handy." As Shirou talked he raised his sword above his head. It began to hum even louder as he prepared his attack.

"Penny!" Jaune shouted in warning. "I think you should hold off on that attack! We don't know what his sword might do!"

"I will not lose, Jaune! Just watch me!" Penny completely ignored his warning and swung her arms forward. Her swords increased their rotational speed and a loud hum echoed across the canyon just before they fired a large beam of Dust. The beam traveled at Shirou with incredible speed but he made no move to dodge out of the way.

Instead he swung his sword down and a giant yellow arc that crackled with electricity flew from the tip of it and collided with Penny's beam. The two forces of pure energy clashed with one another for several seconds as each one attempted to gain dominance over the other.

Unfortunately for Penny it was Shirou's lightning slash that won out as the giant yellow Dust blade began splitting her beam apart. Bolts of lightning stretched around the sides of it and shot to the source, forcing the rest of her beam to exploded violently as they traveled along it. They reached Penny's swords and bounced off of them and the lightning danced after Penny herself.

"Penny!" Jaune shouted and took a step towards her as she began convulsing from the surge that entered into her body. A spark leapt off of her and struck his outstretched hand, singeing him and sending him flying backwards and onto his butt. He was helpless to do anything but watch as his friend was electrocuted in front of his very eyes.

Her swords began making loud beeping noises as the electricity overloaded them and simultaneously all eight of them exploded. The force of the blast sent Penny flying backwards and miraculously she landed on the small pathway connecting the pillar to the rest of the canyon floor. Her body still seized now and again as the electricity left her body.

"Penny! No!" Jaune cried in frustration as he bolted to her as quickly as his body would allow. He jumped clear over her and landed on the other side before grabbing her under the armpits. He ignored the burning sensation that immediately seared his hands as he dragged Penny across the walkway and hopefully to safety. Shirou hadn't attacked them until they had crossed over to his pillar. It was probably safe to assume that if they left Shirou wouldn't pursue them either. He may have been a twisted person but Jaune was willing to bet he was going to play by the rules of his own game.

Once they were securely on the other side and away from the cliff he dropped to his knees just behind Penny's head. Her chest wasn't rising and falling and he couldn't hear the sound of her breathing. "Penny, hey! Come on, Penny." He slapped her cheek which was also searing hot but got no response. "No, no no, no. Penny!" He had to choke back tears as he scrambled around to her chest. He put his ear against it but heard no heartbeat.

Why? Why did this have to happen to her? What had she ever done to deserve this? She may have been a little odd but she was incredibly kind. She had been so ecstatic when he had called her friend and had pranced around in joy when everyone said they wanted to get together and hang out with her. So why? If this would've been the outcome he would've pressed harder for Shirou to just kill him and spare everyone else.

"Penny. I'm so sorry." He grabbed her hand and held it up to his face as a couple tears rolled down his cheeks. There was so much more he should've done. This wasn't supposed to be how things went. It was supposed to be him lying there unmoving right now, not her. She was far stronger than he was and he was the one still alive. How was that right?

He couldn't accept that. He wouldn't accept that! His gaze turned angry and he glared at the one who was truly to blame for this. As he had predicted, Shirou Schnee hadn't left his island and now stood in the very center of it, just watching them. His narrowed blue eyes still shined with hatred but Jaune could almost see another expression in them now. Was it...pity? The very thought that this man might be feeling that set Jaune's veins ablaze and he had to fight the urge to go charging at him right this second. He wouldn't accomplish anything by doing that and Penny's death would have been for nothing if he just went and died immediately after her.

What was he supposed to do now though? He couldn't fight Shirou by himself but it hurt too much to think he had to go back to the others, dragging Penny's dead body with him. That was just something...he couldn't bring himself to do. As he contemplated all this he heard several beeping noises and then things began whirling as if a computer was booting up. What were those noises and why were they coming from...Penny?

Shortly after hearing them her eyes fluttered opened and he almost leapt to his feet in shock. Penny was...Penny was alive! How though? Her heart had stopped! He placed his ear up against her chest again but still heard no heartbeat. Now though he heard the sounds of computer chips, fans, and gears coming from inside of her. "Penny?" He pulled his head back and looked her in the eyes.

"Jaune?" Her voice cracked and sounded to be full of static. "Where am I? Why are you crying?"

"I-I thought that you…" He didn't know how to answer that. Penny was alive! At least he thought she was. She still didn't have a heartbeat though. Penny attempted to prop herself up on her elbows but one of them immediately gave out on her and she collapsed back to the ground. "Penny!" He bent over her elbow to inspect it for injuries but was shocked at what he saw instead. Her elbow was ripped wide open but instead of flesh and blood there were bolts and wires. Suddenly it all made sense to him. Penny's personality, her lack of a heartbeat, this elbow. Penny...she wasn't human.

"I am sorry, Jaune." Penny suddenly sounded very sad and he realized he was staring at her in shock.

He shook his head quickly. Now wasn't the time to be surprised by something stupid like this. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're alive. I was so worried you had died."

"You were?" She asked, sounding unsure.

He nodded back and gave her the warmest smile he could. "Of course I was. You're my friend."

"Y-You mean that?" Penny's other arm suddenly reached forward and grabbed him by the scruff of his hoodie.

He nodded once again. "Of course I do, Penny."

"Even though you know I'm not a human? Even though I'm just a synthetic android capable of producing an Aura?" She sounded desperate to hear his next words. To know she hadn't lost a friend.

"I don't know what any of that is supposed to mean. To me you're just Penny. And Penny is probably one of my best friends." He patted the hand that was pulling on his hoodie reassuringly. If robots were capable of crying he had no doubt Penny would have burst into tears of joy at what he just said.

"Thank you, Jaune. Thank you. I was too afraid to let anyone at this school know even though uncle Ironwood said it was alright. He said I was not here to make friends as a person but become the ultimate Grimm killing machine. But I still wanted everyone to treat me as a normal girl." She clung to him more tightly and he wrapped his arm around her and began to lift her to her feet.

"Come on. It's alright. Let's get you up." He whispered softly to her as he helped her stand on her feet. "Do you still want to keep it a secret from everyone else?" She tilted her head at him questioningly and he gestured to her elbow which still had wires sticking out of it. "You don't want anyone else to know still, right?"

She hesitated for a minute before nodding. "I do not think I am ready for more people to know the truth just yet."

"That's alright, Penny. We all have our secrets." First it was just a girl hiding the fact that she was a Faunus. Now a girl was hiding the fact that she was a robot. If this trend continued, Ruby was going to come out and tell him she was an alien.

He detached the plate armour around and his hoodie and unhooked the pauldrons on his shoulders. "What are you doing?" Penny asked quizzically as he finally started taking his hoodie off, revealing an orange t-shirt underneath.

"You can use this as a sling." He explained as he took her busted arm and began to cover the exposed wires with his hoodie. He used the sleeves to tie it around her opposite shoulder. "We'll just tell everyone you broke your arm. Just make sure no one tries to inspect it."

"Jaune." Penny wrapped him in a one-armed hug and the very way she said his name conveyed her gratitude.

"Don't mention it, friend." He patted her back awkwardly but otherwise didn't move as he just enjoyed the moment.

Unfortunately for both of them the moment didn't last long as the sound of insistent giggling broke out and echoed horrendously across the canyon wall. Jaune whirled on Shirou but his mouth was firmly locked in its typical grin. It wasn't coming from him. Shirou appeared to see Jaune's alarm though and began to fill him in. "What you hear right now are a coyote-based Grimm called Cacklers. They're among my favorite Grimm species as they have the most amusing habit of laughing hysterically while they hunt down their human prey." He called it amusing, Jaune called it terrifying. He had never heard a more terrible sound in his entire life. "It would sound like like they made it past your friends and are almost down here. I do wonder how you'll manage to get out of this predicament, Mr Arc?"

"Damn!" Jaune clicked his teeth in annoyance. He couldn't tell how many were coming after them with their cackling echoing all over the place. He looked expectantly at Penny but she shook her head in shame.

"My weapons were all destroyed and I think some of my circuits were fried. I am not capable of combat in my present state." Well, so much for that. They were in a real bind with their strongest combatant down. First though, he had to make sure everyone up top was safe. It was possible these things had just snuck by but on the off-chance they had already killed someone he needed to know.

He pulled out his scroll and flipped the walkie function on. "Pyrrha!"

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos considered herself to be a rather humble person.

That wasn't to say she was doubtful of her own skills or anything. No, she had her own pride to be sure. That was why she had immediately volunteered herself to take over the lead position when Jaune had disappeared into the vines below to confront Shirou. She knew that she was most qualified to lead them into battle. Her skills and accomplishments spoke for themselves after all. She had been the strongest student at Sanctum, having proven herself four years in a row. She also liked to think she had a good understanding of how terrifying the Grimm could be.

Having said all that about herself, she would also be the first to admit there was nothing more humbling than being charged at by hundreds of Grimm with only a band of fresh teenagers behind you for backup. Teenagers she was expected to lead against this deadly onslaught may she add.

She sorely missed the blonde knight that had descended below right about now as she and the others struggled to hold any kind of ground and not lose their lives. Jaune...he was special. She could tell from the moment she had first seen him in the hallways at Beacon. She had been overjoyed when he had come to talk to her before initiation the following day.

Almost immediately she realized she had been correct in assuming he was special. He didn't even have any idea who she was! Add to that and he was able to talk to the Schnee Heiress as if he was on her very own level. He was indeed someone to keep an eye on. Perhaps become partners with.

It was to her great disappointment when they had all been launched off the side of the cliff at the same time. She had been informed by an upperclassman that they launched you one at a time. It was only later that she realized it was because their initiation was special. She had missed her chance to secure Jaune by landing before him.

She hadn't given up hope, however. She knew where he had landed and immediately made a break for that location. It had only taken her a couple minutes to find the tree he had used to bring himself to the ground, what with the big gouge in the side of it. She managed to located his hurried tracks and pursued after him. Once more she was disappointed when she came across a dead King Taijitu. It was clear by the battle marks that he and another person had killed it together. He had already found a partner.

It was only a few moments later that she met her own blonde partner. She liked Yang. She was strong, confident, and an all around joyful person to be around. Her teasing was a little rough to deal with but Pyrrha understood that none of it was ever meant with ill-intent. She would've been horrified to have been partnered with a bully. Despite saying all this Pyrrha couldn't help but feel a little guilty sometimes. Guilty because Yang hadn't been her first choice and sometimes she pondered on what it would have been like to be partnered with him.

When she next met him it was the most mesmerizing sight she had ever seen. He had just blocked the blast of a Chimera; one of the most dangerous, powerful Grimm in existence had used its ultimate attack and he had stood right in the middle of it without gaining so much as a scratch. The way he stood up ready to continue the fight, the waves of heat still rolling off the sand all around him...it made her blush just thinking about it. He had looked so incredibly cool.

When they had both been announced as leaders she knew she could use that to her advantage. Finally her moment had come just over an hour ago when they were riding the elevator alone together. She never would've guessed that elevator ride would have eventually led her to this gruesome battle of attrition without him even being by her side.

"Pyrrha!" One of the others called out to her, ripping her from thoughts as she mindlessly cut down the Grimm as they rained upon them like an evil storm. The evil creatures came in so many different species, sizes, and shapes, she barely paid attention to which creature was what anymore. She turned to the voice and saw one of the other female leaders beckoning her over. She quickly made her way to the vine they were hiding beneath and grimaced at what she saw.

"S-sorry, Pyrrha. I held out as long as I could." A rather large boy muttered weakly as he tried to hold onto consciousness. His leg was a mess. It looked like one of the Grimm had clamped onto him with its teeth and had refused to relent until he had killed it and forcefully pried its jaw open.

"How many injured does that make?" Pyrrha looked to the girl that had called her over. Her Aura was specialized in healing and she had been keeping an eye on the others while healing them whenever they got minor injuries. Something like what the boy in front of her had would require far too much of her Aura to get him back into fighting shape. They could only heal him enough to survive. They needed the others to be able to keep going after all.

"He's the third that is no longer capable of fighting." The girl responded back timidly.

Pyrrha sighed in frustration and pressed her hands on her forehead. Things had started off so smoothly too. The Grimm hadn't stood a chance as they fired upon them with their dust rounds. That had worked for a solid fifteen minutes with only a couple making it down far enough for one of them having to jump forward and kill them in close combat.

The moment they had run out of ammunition all Hell had broken loose. The Grimm had swarmed them in numbers Pyrrha had never even fathomed. Shirou had said the whistle would rile them up and cause them to attack whatever they saw in a fit of rage but it had still been more fierce than anything they had expected. The Grimm easily sniffed them out, likely on their overwhelming fear alone. As long as they remained in groups though and stabbed at the Grimm while using the surroundings to their advantage they should have been fine.

They had been fine too. For about another ten minutes. That was all it took for fatigue to set in and soon they were sent scrambling all around as they tried to maintain what little ground they had. Not a single person was able to get any rest due to the sheer numbers the Grimm were attacking in and as their own injured began to wrack up the more dire their situation became.

The injured person wasn't able to move far and they had to set up a last ditch defence around that person. It was starting to cause their numbers to spread thin and if it became too much worse they would be completely overwhelmed. Jaune was counting on them up here.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune's panicked voice crackled over her scroll and she immediately picked it up to respond.

"Jaune! Are you okay?" She really hoped he wasn't injured. The last thing they needed right now was more bad news.

"I'm fine." His voice came back in and she sighed in relief. She heard the other girl next to her do the same and she glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. Two more students were fighting just behind her, keeping the two of them and the injured boy safe for the moment. Pyrrha was going to have to rejoin the fight any second now.

"Penny is injured though! I need to get her out of here!" Jaune's voice continued and Pyrrha grimaced at his words. So they hadn't been able to defeat Shirou after all? "The problem is I got a pack of Cacklers down here. I just need to know, did they kill anyone? Are you all safe?" Despite the grave danger that he was in he was asking about them first? It was no wonder everyone trusted him so readily.

"Everyone up here is alive. We have a couple injured but no one is near death." Yet. She didn't bother adding that last bit aloud. "I'll be down there in a second to help you get Penny out. Just hang tight."

"What!? Pyrrha you don't have to do that!" She ignored his words and turned to the other three and prepared to apologise to them.

"Don't worry about it! Just go get him!" One of the two defending them shouted.

"We could really use his expertise right now!" The other laughed as he cut down the Grimm in front of him.

Pyrrha looked at the girl and she nodded her head in agreement with the two of them. Pyrrha gave her an apologetic smile. "I'll be right back. I promise."

She took off running and jumped down into the darkness below. She had to hurry. Jaune was the one thing keeping them all together right now. If something happened to him they might not last.

* * *

"Belladonna, you need to slow down!" Weiss shouted from a short distance away but Blake paid her no mind.

They were getting close. Just another fifteen minutes and they would be there. Less than that if she put on a burst of speed. Just a little bit longer and she would be able to make sure Jaune was okay. That idiot better be okay.

"Xiao Long! Not you too!" Blake tilted her head to her side to see Yang was easily keeping up with her pace. Her normally lilac eyes burnt red and it looked like her hair was slightly ablaze. If Blake had to guess she would say it had something to do with Yang's Semblance. It was no wonder the blonde girl was in just as much as rush as she was. Pyrrha was her partner like Jaune was Blake's. The others simply couldn't understand the anxiety the two of them felt.

"I hate to bring this up but that looks like a giant Grimm flying right towards us!" The ever observant Ren called and Blake stretched her neck to look at the moon and stars. Casting a very dark shadow over their only source of light was indeed an avian Grimm. A giant owl Grimm known as a Wan Shi Tong to be precise. Like most Grimm it was almost entirely black but the face of this creature was covered in white feathers, giving it the appearance of wearing a mask.

Why was it coming after them though? They had run across a couple small packs of Grimm on the way already by happenstance but it was because the Grimm had been running the same way that they were. Most Grimm that they saw in the distance were actually ignoring them as they charged unrelentingly forward. It was a horrific sign of what was waiting for them when they arrived to be sure but for the moment that had been working to their advantage. Now one of them was flying in the opposite direction and right towards them. It didn't make sense.

"Blake!" A panicked voice screamed her name and for half-a-second she thought it might have been Jaune. She looked beneath the flying Grimm and suddenly realized that it wasn't flying after them, it was being led to them. Sun and three other students she didn't recognize were sprinting full-force to get away from the massive predator behind them. "We could really use some help right about now!" Sun continued to shout as the two groups got closer to converging.

"Weiss! Give us a boost!" Blake unhooked Gambol Shroud and she heard Yang's gauntlets make several clicking noises as she armed them.

"What's the plan girl?" Yang asked as two of Weiss' anti-gravity runes appeared about ten steps in front of them.

"Knock it out of the sky and make sure this lot didn't abandon our partners." She didn't know why Sun was leading a group away from the canyon but he had better have a really good reason to have abandoned the others.

The moment they hit Weiss' runes they both jumped as hard as they possibly could and they rocketed impossibly high into the air courtesy of its power. They soared through the sky even above the height of the Wan Shi Tong now and just as they reached the arc of their ascension, they fired Dust rounds behind themselves to launch forward even more quickly and adjust their angle so they could best strike at it.

"I call its face!" Yang shouted as they rocketed right towards it. It wasn't even aware of them yet as it continued to chase after Sun and the others.

"I'll clip one of its wings." Blake unsheathed the smaller blade just before they collided.

"Hey you ugly bastard! I'm right here!" The Wan Shi Tong twisted its head upwards at Yang's voice just in time for her to smash a gauntlet right into its face as promised. It screeched in pain and anger but was unable to retaliate before Blake also made good on her word and sliced right through the tendon of its left wing.

They fell towards the earth and the Grimm spiralled out of control as it tried and failed to maintain its balance. Yang fired a shot from both Gauntlets to halt her descent and nimbly rolled to her feet. Blake created one of her clones that she backflipped off of before touching down. A loud crash behind them told her that their foe had also been grounded.

She turned her head slightly to see the rest of their group finish it off before spinning on Sun and the others. "That was freaking amazing!" Sun had slowed to a walk as he approached them and had his hands held above his head as if he was expecting a couple of high fives from them. "You chicks have got some moves!"

"The Hell are you guys doing?" Yang growled angrily as she stepped forward and grabbed Sun's hand before taking and twisting it behind his back.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! What the Hell?" He cried in pain as he dropped to his knees.

"Did you abandon the others?" Blake planted Gambol Shroud threateningly in front of Sun as she glared fiercely at him.

"No, no way!" He shook his head quickly in denial. "This was Jaune's idea! We came out to meet you guys so we can coordinate with the others on our way back! We'll pincer the Grimm and make sure they won't know what hit 'em!"

Yang and Blake shared a dubious look before turning their glares back to him. "Our scrolls don't work. How did you plan to relay any kind of message to the others?"

"The headmaster didn't cut the connection to the scrolls of the leaders! We've been communicating amongst ourselves!" Once more Yang gave Blake an unconvinced look but Blake just shrugged this time.

"It sounds reasonable enough." She replied and Yang finally released Sun's arm.

"Holy shit! You've got one Hell of a grip, you know that?" Sun rubbed his hand tenderly with the other as he looked nervously up at Yang.

"You said something about being Jaune's idea?" Blake ignored his whining and pressed what he had mentioned earlier.

He nodded in response as the rest of Blake's group joined them. "The four of us ran out her to meet you guys and the rest of our teams. Where are they by the way?"

"Coming. Now continue." Weiss snapped at him and Sun grumbled something under his breath a moment before doing what he was told.

"Once everyone gets here, we'll all run back and together with everyone that stayed behind will wipe out all the Grimm in the area. Once we've done that we should be able to fight our way back to Lambent. That was Jaune's idea anyway." Blake shared a quick look with Weiss and she could see the disbelief on her face.

"You're telling me that in a group full of leaders you all went with a plan that was proposed by Jaune Arc?" She asked incredulously.

Sun gave a slightly confused look before nodding. "Yeah. Why?" Blake observed the other three leaders to see equal confusion matching their faces.

"Surely someone else there had proposed a better idea? I mean, why did he even say anything? I can't believe anyone asked for his opinion." She did not care for the way Weiss worded that at all but a small part of her agreed with what she said. Jaune was a reluctant leader at best. He wouldn't have willingly taken command when surrounded by such an elite group of students.

Sun snarled lightly in anger and climbed back to his feet. "If you really want to know, someone did ask him! Jaune actually saved at least a dozen of us from getting killed by a rampaging Deathstalker by himself with nothing but a quick plan so forgive me if I get a little ticked at you for insulting his reliability!" Sun's words had a bite to them now and Weiss took a step back in shock as he glowered at her.

"Jaune did that?" Blake stepped forward and placed a hand on Sun's shoulders. His anger dissipated almost immediately as he turned to her and nodded fiercely.

"Everyone over there is depending on him right now. Tried to barter his life away just to save us all." Her grip on his shoulder tightened exponentially and he flinched in pain.

"I'm going to need all the details on that one." She smiled as sweetly as possibly but on the inside she was fuming. She was going to skin that idiot alive! Did he never learn?

"I believe another group is approaching." Ren cut them off and they all turned to see a group as large as thirty students running towards them.

"Looks like the cavalry has arrived!" Sun whooped as he waved at his partner Neptune, who was leading the charge. He then pulled out his scroll and clicked the mic on. "Hey Jaune! I've got good news! We've met up with the others and are about to head back as soon as I get them up to speed! I've got Blake with me and everything!"

Several of the other leaders quickly responded back but Jaune and even Pyrrha's voice were absent among those to do so. Blake and Sun shared a worried glance before he brought his scroll back up again.

"Jaune?"

* * *

"What?! Pyrrha you don't have to do that!" Jaune shouted into his scroll but he received no reply. Undoubtedly she was coming to rescue them. Could they really afford to spare her away from the front line right now though? She said there had been several injured and there hadn't been a ton of them to start with. Losing anyone could be detrimental.

There wasn't any changing Pyrrha's mind either though. If Jaune had learned anything since starting training it was that without fail every single female was infallibly stubborn. The best thing he could do then was attempt to meet her halfway.

That just meant fighting through a pack of Cacklers while protecting an injured Penny. No pressure there. Hopefully these Grimm just sounded really scary and were actually really weak.

He had never been more wrong in his whole life. The first Cackler fell through the hole they had created to get down and it was one of the most horrifying creatures he had ever laid eyes on. When it stood up and reached its full height it was easily another half-of-him over his own head. Emancipated was the only way to describe its body. Its lanky legs and arms looked as brittle as twigs and it was all held together by a torso with ribs that were practically protruding from its jet-black fur that was littered with gray dots. Its dog-like face was tilted sideways as it smiled at him...yes, smiled. Its razor-sharp teeth were completely bared as it gave him a hungry grin while drooling all over itself. Its red eyes studied every little movement he made. Finally, and most terrifying, were the claws that hung off its grotesque paws. Metre long white spikes hung off of its ten fingers. Just one of those would make a shish kabob out of him.

Slowly but surely it crept towards him as it used only its hind legs to walk, dragging its long claws across the ground as it did. Jaune took half a step back in fear as once again it began laughing maniacally at him. He bumped into Penny as he did and felt her grab the back of his t-shirt with her only usable hand. Even as a synthetic-human he could see the palpable fear in her eyes. She was powerless right now. The only thing she had that she could depend on was him. He...he couldn't let her down.

He resolved himself to be brave. He had to be brave for her sake. "Penny. Just leave this to me. I'll take care of these things and then Pyrrha will come and get us out of here." His voice wavered despite his best efforts and he gave her a smile that he knew was half-assed. Still, Penny looked a little more relaxed at his words and that would have to do for now.

"What about your armour?" She asked and he cursed internally. He hadn't rehooked his breastplate or pauldrons after giving Penny his hoodie. He was just going to have to fight without them now. He had an opponent waiting on him.

"I'm way quicker without all that stuff anyways." That might have been half-true at best. His armour actually wasn't all that heavy to begin with despite being able to take a hit. At least he felt a little lighter. He turned back towards the Cackler and its annoyingly horrifying laughter and raised his shield and sword up.

"Be careful, Jaune." Penny whispered as he sprinted forward. She didn't need to tell him twice. Those claws could rip him into pieces if he made even the slightest misstep.

Just when he closed about half the original distance between himself and the Cackler it suddenly quit its giggling and only a moment later sprinted at him at speeds more than double what he was capable of. "Oh shit!" Jaune doubled over backwards just as a set of claws flew over where his head and torso had been. He stumbled a couple steps away and brought his shield up.

The Cackler closed its hand and pinched the claws together, forming one thick spear that it stabbed at him with. It clashed against his shield and his whole arm went numb from the shock of the blow; even as he heard the ground splinter apart behind him just from the shockwave of its strike.

It began giggling once again as it opened its mouth unfathomably wide and reached forward to take a bite out of his face. Jaune wanted to run in fear. It took every fibre in his being not to flee and instead grip his sword a little more tightly and thrust forward and right into the open maw of the Grimm before him. He stabbed right into its mouth and he could feel his sword rips its throat apart from the inside.

The laughing stopped once again and was replaced by gurgling as it choked on his blade. He pulled his sword out and it tumbled forward and he stepped backwards to avoid it. Just like that it was over. It may have been a brief fight but it was possibly the most terrifying Grimm he had ever, and would ever face. There was just something inexplicably horrific about it.

"Jaune!" Penny shouted in fear and he whirled around to see three more of them had cut their way through the roots behind him and were now converging on her.

"Hold on, Penny!" He immediately sprinted after her. This was not going as he had hoped. One of them had been scary enough. Three of them at the same time was almost asking for the impossible. Just as he thought this another two fell down directly behind their fellow Grimm. Oh great. Now it was five of them. "Run! Get away from them!" Penny was only backing away slowly until he shouted these words. After hearing them she turned and sprinted back towards the cliff and Shirou's pillar.

Two of them immediately gave chase after her and with their speed they closed the distance almost instantly. "Damn it!" He grumbled in annoyance as he ran up on the remaining three. For whatever reason they hadn't noticed him yet and were glaring at Shirou Schnee while giggling atrociously.

He would teach them for turning their back on him. He ran up to the first one and stabbed his sword right into the middle of its back. It ceased laughing and the other two finally spun around to glare at him. He pulled his sword out and the Cackler collapsed to the ground dead. One down. He spared Penny a quick glance to see her barely dodge the claws of one of them as they continued to chase her. He couldn't afford to take too much time.

His own sword was still wet with blood from the two he had killed and an idea formed in his head as the two in front of him charged. He swung his sword in front of him and the blood went splashing forward and right into their eyes. They both howled in irritation and floundered around blindly. It was exactly long enough for Jaune to step forward and decapitate them both with one swing of his sword.

He ran past them before their bodies even hit the ground and beelined it for Penny once again. She was being pushed into a corner between the two Grimm, the cliff, and the canyon wall. If he didn't make it in the next couple seconds Penny really would die.

Real girl or not he doubted she could survive being sliced into ribbons and he wasn't about to lose her. Not again. The feelings that had brought forth when he thought she was dead once were the worst he had ever felt in his whole life. Far worse than the crushing fear that overcame him whenever he faced the Grimm. That was why he was able to push through it right now and fight these things without fleeing.

Penny ran straight for the wall and once she reached in began to run up it for five or six good steps. Once she slowed to a stop she kicked off it and flipped around and landed behind both of the Cacklers. They paused as they lost sight of her for a brief second and she stepped forward and punched the first one in the back. The force of her blow was so strong it smashed it into the wall and cracks began to spiderweb up the side of it as she pressed in. Despite being injured she clearly still had some strength left.

The other Cackler turned to her and raised its claws above its head while Penny's fist was still drilling into the first one. "No you don't!" Jaune put on a final burst of speed and ran smack into the Grimm with his shield. He knocked it backwards off its feet and right off the cliff behind it. It let out a loud howl as it disappeared into the darkness below. Without a doubt it would die when it hit the ground down there. Nothing could survive that drop if he had to guess.

"Jaune!" He turned around just in time for Penny to crash into him with a powerful hug. He stumbled backwards and came a step away from falling off the cliff.

"Hey, Penny! Watch it!" Despite his words he was laughing. He awkwardly returned the hug as best he could while still wielding Crocea Mors.

"I was really scared for a minute. I have never experienced that emotion before." She spoke into his t-shirt and he patted the top of her head, avoiding her pink bow.

"It's alright. I experience fear all the time. The important thing now is that we're both safe." He paused before thinking about it. "For the moment." Once they made it back up top they were going to be heading right into the thick of it again.

"Jaune! Penny! Look out!" Pyrrha's panicked voice caused energy to jolt through Jaune and in just a moment the danger became clear as he realized the Cackler Penny had punched had recovered and was standing angrily behind her. It raised its claws up and pinched them together to form a spear.

Without thinking, he pushed Penny away and knocked her to the side just as the Grimm stabbed forward. Now nothing was between him and the Grimm's claws and before he was even able to move a muscle he was speared right through the gut. A sick squelching sound reached his ears as his own body was ripped through like it was made of paper.

"Jaune!" Penny and Pyrrha's voices overlapped as they cried out in pure horror at what was likely one of the most gruesome things they had ever witnessed.

He felt his legs threaten to give out from under him but just barely managed to maintain his balance thanks to the claws that still ran straight through his body and almost undoubtedly were protruding out his back. Blood rushed up his throat and his cheeks puffed out as he fought for a second to keep it inside. He failed and gave a ragged cough as the blood flew out his mouth and onto the ground, adding to the puddle that was already pooling at his feet.

Well...this certainly sucked. The Cackler in front of him began laughing hysterically as it twisted its claws around in his gut and caused his insides to ignite in pain. It felt like someone had just set his organs on fire and he had to fight the urge to cry out in pain. Instead he twisted his mouth in a grimace as he glared as fiercely as he could at the Grimm. Its evil red eyes stared right back and he felt his heart freeze in fear.

He was...really going to die.

This wasn't like the other times like just earlier when he had offered himself up on silver platter. It wasn't like when he had lured the Chimera off for the others to escape. It wasn't even like when he had ran in front of that Deathstalker's stinger to save Blake. All of those had been conscious decisions of his to throw his life on the line to save someone. This time...well, it just happened. He hadn't had time to think whether or not to push Penny out of the way. He had just acted on instinct.

All the other times he has been given time to think things through. This though. His death was imminent. He had a freaking hole in his gut! Sun wasn't going to yell at him to rally the others to tell him to live. Blake wasn't going to come running to pull him away. His shield hadn't been quick enough to deflect the strike. The damage had already been dealt and now he was going to die.

He...didn't want to die.

He really, really didn't want to die damnit!

Maybe he could still make it out of this? There had to be a way for him to survive. His Aura was supposedly incredibly large, right? Maybe it would heal him through this? He just had to kill the Cackler in front of him and rip its claws out of his stomach first. He didn't exactly have the strength to do that. The fear had caused his arms to lock up and his shield and sword felt like dead weight in his hands. There was nothing he could possibly do to kill the creature of Grimm in front of him.

As he realized this the Grimm's jaw opened wide and it prepared to finish the job by mawing his head off. He took half-a-step back in fear and nearly slipped off the cliff immediately behind him. He had nowhere to go even if he could pull himself free. He could only stare helplessly as the Grimm's horrifying teeth got closer and closer to his face. This was really it. He couldn't watch yet he couldn't tear his eyes away at the same time. When the Cackler got less than a centimetre away from tearing his face off, a shot echoed across the canyon and Milo, in its javelin form, flew into the side of the Cackler's head and smashed it into the wall next to them. The force of the blow was too much for the already damaged wall though, and a piece of the splintered rock broke loose and fell right above his head. Before he even realised what was happening, he felt it smash into the top of his head and the world began to fade away to nothing as his legs leaned backwards.

Just before he fell his head turned sideways and he caught sight of Penny. She sat on her butt with a dumbfounded expression on her face. It was like she didn't even know what was happening in front of her right now. As he looked at her he was reminded that she was alive. He had saved her life just now.

As this thought hit him he felt a relieved smile spread across his face.

This had been to save her. He had no regrets about that.

The only regret he did have was not being able to talk to Blake one last time.

"I'm sorry...Blake." He mumbled as darkness claimed him and he fell over the edge of the cliff.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha screamed as she sprinted as hard as she could after him. She could only watch helplessly with her arms outstretched as Jaune slipped free from the Cackler's claws and tumbled off the cliff-side. "No, no, no! Jaune!" She didn't stop running anyways until she made it the the ledge he had just disappeared over.

The only thing she could see beneath her was darkness.

He was gone.

"Jaune…" Pyrrha collapsed to her knees in disbelief. Why? Why did that just happen? Jaune was...he was the one inspiring the rest of them. When they learned he...when they found out they would be broken. That would be all it would take for them to give up hope. There had yet to be any news from Sun yet either.

For several full minutes she sat there in stunned silence with Penny. It was almost too impossible for her to believe. Jaune...he was dead? That simply couldn't have just happened. He had been special. She had known that from the very first moment she saw him. So then, she could only ask herself this again, why? He surely shouldn't have been the one to die. When you died that was it. It was over for you. Why then did he look so satisfied as he tumbled off the cliff? He had smiled as if he was posing for a camera while instead he was falling to his death.

That certainly wasn't normal. If she had to guess she would have said it had been for Penny. Had he and Penny really grown so close over these past couple hours that he would gladly die for her? It made Pyrrha a little jealous to think not only was that possible, but it would appear to be exactly what had just happened. Then again, he had appeared ready to sacrifice himself for all of them not too long ago. Was this action simply an extension of that? She had no idea. He was gone now and she would never be able to know anything more about who he was.

That very thought caused silent tears to leak forth and run down the side of her face. She would never speak to Jaune again. She would never hear his voice or catch sight of his scraggly blonde hair. She had finally had her first one-on-one conversation with him just a couple hours ago. She was finally going to be able to get know him. Finally...

No! It...it was too late for these thoughts now. She had failed him. She told him she would come help him and showed up only to watch him die. If anything, the result of her actions had been what caused the final blow that had knocked him out. It was because of her he had fallen.

"My, my, my. Did you see that smile he gave you as he fell to his death just now, Miss Penny?" Pyrrha whipped her head to see Shirou Schnee standing on a pillar that was removed from the rest of the ground they stood on. Only a small pathway connected their two pieces of earth.

Penny, who had been sitting in stunned silence, finally moved her head slightly to show she had even heard Shirou had said something. Her bangs obstructed her eyes and other than the frown on her face Pyrrha had no idea what to make of what she was possibly feeling.

"Isn't it kind of ironic? The one person his death managed to save and she isn't even a real girl. Yet he still managed to look like he didn't have a single regret. A twisted kid right up until the end." Pyrrha didn't understand any of what Shirou just said but Penny clearly did.

She jumped to her feet and her head whipped up, revealing eyes filled with overwhelming sadness mixed with unbridled resentment. "These are also new emotions for me." Penny's unbroken arm was shaking so violently it looked ready to pop off. "I have never in my life wanted to kill a human-being. Right now though I want to kill you so badly it hurts." Every word sounded like she was fighting back the urge to scream and shout in frustration.

"You're certainly welcome to try." Shirou must have found her anger funny because his smirk had grown even bigger as he watched her. Pyrrha kind of wanted to strangle him now too. "You couldn't do anything against me when you were at full fighting capacity. What do you plan to do like that? Self-destruct?" Penny was clearly in rough shape and Pyrrha knew she didn't stand a chance either. If Jaune and Penny had failed together what could she do? They needed to wait for reinforcements. She shakily got to her feet and stumbled numbly over to her.

"Penny." She touched her shoulder gently. "We need to go." She couldn't let the others wait any longer. She would just tell them Jaune stayed behind until they had word of their reinforcements and their morale was back up. She wasn't entirely sure she was ready to admit it had happened yet, either.

"Hey Jaune!" Sun's voice cut in over their scrolls and Pyrrha flinched in surprise. "I've got good news! We've met up with the others and are about to head back as soon as I get them up to speed! I've got Blake with me and everything!"

Pyrrha's heart froze. Blake. She would never forgive them for allowing Jaune to die. Pyrrha had never seen a moment the two of them were separate since they'd been partnered. It had made her incredibly jealous, actually.

"Jaune?" Sun's voice came back in with inquisitive concern. She had to tell them. Blake had the right to know. It would certainly hurt the remaining leaders but they didn't have to hold out for much longer.

She clicked her scroll's mic on and brought it up to her mouth.

"Blake."

* * *

"Blake"

Pyrrha's voice shakily cut through the scroll and Blake raised her eyebrow at Sun's device. He only shrugged and handed it to her. It had taken her so long to respond that Neptune and the other students had arrived and they were all standing around idly, wondering what they were waiting for.

"Pyrrha. It's me. Where's Jaune?" A bad feeling ensnared her heart but she quickly stomped it out. It was impossible. He was fine.

"J-Jaune…" Pyrrha's voice cut in and then immediately cut back out.

Hey! Hey, hey, hey.

This wasn't funny.

This wasn't funny one bit.

Pyrrha, she was going to cut back in any second and tell her Jaune was fine. She was going to tell her the idiot had gotten tired and decided to take a nap or something ridiculous like that.

"Jaune is…"

That didn't happen.

No, don't you say it Pyrrha. Don't you say it! Blake screamed this inside her head and had to force herself not to scream it into the scroll.

Jaune was fine.

He absolutely had to be fine.

"Jaune is dead."

* * *

 **AN:** Hopefully y'all don't hate me too much for ending it there.

I made the action at the beginning purposefully dialogue-free since they went on talking sprees last chapter. Jaune and Shirou really didn't have much left to say to one another after all that. I'm not super confident in that fight seeing as it was my first extended human vs human fight (not counting Jaune's quick spat with Cardin way back in Ch 2). Most of Jaune's fights involve him sprinting for his life and getting lucky in the end. So this was a change of pace for him.

I feel like most of you know, but for those that don't, Wan Shi Tong is a giant Owl Spirit that guards the Spirit Library in Avatar: The Last Airbender. He also appears in Legend of Korra. (I own neither of these) I can't be the only one that thinks that bastard would make an excellent Grimm, right? The Cackler I came up with myself (It is kind of just a more sinister Beowulf when you think about it), but I hope it sounded kind of terrifying? I don't know what it is but the idea of things laughing while they hunt you down scares the hell outta me. I'm not sure how I feel about the name but I wanted it to have to do with their laughing trait and Cackler sounded more intimidating than Laugher or Giggler. So I went with it.

Next time, Blake and the others deal with the idea that Jaune may be dead.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 13 - Dirge_

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

* * *

Sun's scroll slipped from Blake's fingers and clattered to the hard-rock ground. She wasn't aware of any of that though. All sound was muted and her eyes were blind to everything that was happening around her. Pyrrha's words echoed around in her head.

Jaune was...dead?

That wasn't possible.

She wouldn't believe that.

She couldn't believe that.

"Jaune?" Ruby stumbled forward out of the corner of Blake's eye. "Did she just say...Jaune died?" Her voice was as full of disbelief as Blake herself felt.

Sun snarled as he picked up his scroll and quickly flipped the mic on. "Pyrrha! What the Hell are you saying?" He shouted into the scroll. "What happened?"

"H-He came down with Penny to fight Shirou Schnee." Blake's bow twitched at that name. "They were ambushed by Grimm and Penny was injured. Jaune died protecting her." Pyrrha's voice cracked at the end and it sounded like she bit back a sob. Blake's hands clenched together so tightly she could feel her nails break the skin. That bastard Shirou...he just watched!?

There was absolutely no way she could believe that this had happened. She needed...she needed to see Jaune for herself. She had to go to him right now. Her brain told herself this but her legs wouldn't move. Her whole body was frozen stiff. What if...what if Pyrrha was right? If she went there and she saw Jaune's dead body, what would she do?

She didn't want to think about that possibility. Why was this so hard for her? She had lost comrades before during her missions with the White Fang. It had never made her feel like this though. Wasn't she supposed to be the calm, analytical one? What had happened to her? Why couldn't she accept this the way she had accepted all those other deaths she had witnessed?

Was that even a question she really needed to ask herself? Of course she wouldn't accept it! Jaune was her friend! Her very first true friend. She cared for him. So much that the thought of losing him hurt. The idea that Pyrrha might be right and he was really dead right now caused her heart to hurt so badly she almost wanted to pull it out. If she actually saw him...she would, she would…

...she would kick him so hard it would wake him up. Anger boiled in her stomach and set her veins ablaze. How could that idiot do this to her? Who the Hell did he think he was? She had been training him and beating him senseless this past week simply to prevent this whole debacle from every happening! And for what? So he could just piss it all away and get himself killed at the first opportunity that arose? No, she definitely wouldn't accept any of this.

Weiss' hand rested on her shoulder and she gave a small start. Before she could even turn to look at her though, Weiss walked past her, each step showing her growing agitation. "Give me that!" Weiss snapped at Sun and snatched his scroll away from him. "Pyrrha! This is Weiss! You made absolute sure he is dead? You checked his pulse?" Blake could hear the deep frustration and anger in her tone and it honestly surprised her. Weiss was the last person she expected to hear angry over the idea that Jaune was dead. If anything, she thought she would be elated.

There was several moments of silence before Weiss clicked her teeth angrily. "Pyrrha! I asked you a question!" She snapped into the scroll.

"...H-he fell. I had no way to check for his pulse." Pyrrha responded back with a shocked stutter.

"So you're saying you are currently not right next to his body?" Weiss clarified and turned to give a satisfied smirk to Blake and Ruby. When her eyes met theirs, Blake finally realised what it was she was up to. Jaune...it was actually possible he was alive!

"N-no. But he-"

"But nothing!" Weiss cut her off immediately. "If you haven't checked his pulse. His body isn't next to you. How do you know for sure he died? Jaune Arc is many things. Easily killed isn't one of them. Just stay put. We're coming. And we'll get Jaune ourselves." Weiss tossed the scroll back to Sun and he fumbled with it for a second before managing to properly catch it. "Take us to Razor Canyon! I need all the details about this ridiculous game!" She demanded.

"Uh...what?" Sun still looked slightly confused by the turn of events.

Weiss sighed in exasperation so Blake stepped forward for her and snarled at him. "Did she stutter? Take us to where Jaune and the others are and tell us about how we can end this test."

"R-right!" Sun suddenly started nodding vigorously and turned to the other leaders that had come with him. "Let's get moving! Help me spread the word of what's going on." They all nodded to him and fanned out to find their own teammates after he spoke. He then turned back to them. "Come on!" He nodded his head backwards and took off running, apparently now in a hurry himself.

"Sun! Wait up!" Neptune ran by them with two others that must have made up the rest of their team.

"Come on Ruby." Weiss turned and snapped at the little girl that was still staring forward in a daze. Silent tears ran down her cheeks as her sister Yang attempted and failed to comfort her. It looked like she hadn't heard anything at all she was so lost in grief. "That dunce is fine. You'll see when we get there." Finally, her head moved to regard Weiss but it was more in confusion than anything. "Help us give my uncle some pay-back." At the mention of the headmaster, Ruby's eyes filled with anger. That was more like it. The three of them...they would thrash Shirou's brains in. Blake didn't even care if they actually killed him at this point. Maybe if they did they would send someone more sensible to train them. "If you two are all done brooding, then let's go."

"Weiss!" Blake snapped at the heiress and she whirled on her. The two of them glared at one another. Blake...she didn't like Weiss. She practically despised her most times. That was why this was somewhat difficult for her to say. "Thank you." Her own eyes softened as those words left her mouth.

Weiss was absolutely right. Jaune was alive. He was an idiot with the uncanny ability to get himself into near-death situations at every turn but he was also incredibly adept at escaping with his life by the skin of his teeth. She just had to trust in him...and kick his ass to remind him not to do it again. It had taken Weiss' words to remind her of this. For once she was grateful to her and she wasn't going to let that gratitude go unannounced.

Weiss blushed slightly at Blake's simple words and her eyes broke contact as they darted back and forth. "I-I'm just speaking practically. Also, he's our leader. He's not allowed to die until I've usurped his authority from him." She stuttered this out in a panic.

"Come on!" Ruby stepped between them and grabbed both of their hands before pulling them along. Her motivation had finally returned it seemed. While they had been talking all the other students had already run past them. The remaining sixty of them were on the way to save their leaders. It would be embarrassing if they were the last to arrive.

Ruby's face was set in the most determined scowl Blake had ever seen. She actually looked really mature like that and Blake realised how important Jaune was to her too. To all of them. Like Weiss had just said, he was their leader. He was their friend. For the first time since she had formed this team she felt a true sense of camaraderie with these two girls. They were her teammates. It was about time she started actually treating them that way.

"Think you can catch us up?" She asked Ruby with a smirk to which the younger girl returned.

"Hold on tight!" Her hands gripped them both a little more strongly and Blake prepared herself for the sudden thrust.

"Ruby! Wai-" Weiss didn't get to finish before Ruby's Semblance activated and she launched forward, leaving a trail of rose petals. In only a second they ended up near the front of the pack, right next to PYRN and Sun's team.

Blake's senses took a second to adjust to their new location and when they did her ears picked up Sun's voice as he continued to fill the others in on the situation. "So this Shirou guy says we have three options. Stay and defend, run, or go fight him."

"Why fight him?" Weiss interrupted. They had missed the earlier parts of the story so now had to catch up.

Yang quickly supplied the answer. "Crazy bastard had a Grimm whistle attached to his scroll. That's why the Grimm are rampaging towards them."

Blake's eyebrow quirked as she considered the logic of this. If it was attached to his scroll couldn't they have just run away? Shirou had given them that option. Let that bastard get done in by his own game. Her eyes skimmed the landscape quickly and she realized the folly in that. The land was flat as far as the eye could see with very little cover. Meanwhile, Grimm would be sprinting right for you. It would be a matter of minutes before you were surrounded. Using the Canyon for cover was clearly the better option while sending a small team to rendezvous with your reinforcements was a genius move even she wouldn't have considered on the fly.

"What would've been the odds of them taking down your uncle if all twenty leaders would have gone after him?" Blake turned to Weiss and everyone else looked to her expectantly.

Weiss scowled as she considered the question. "They...probably could've subdued him and put an early end to this if they had all gone." There was a hint of doubt in her voice as she answered.

"But?" Blake supplied the word that she undoubtedly was meaning to add.

"He would've killed most of them in the process." These words she said with such conviction it was a little unsettling. Blake had no doubt his skills were that capable. It was the fact that Weiss was so sure he would willing take their lives with his own blade that frightened her. And Pyrrha said Jaune had gone to fight him...with just Penny for backup?

"How did Jaune end up being the one sent to fight him?" Ruby tilted her head quizzically at Sun and he frowned slightly at her question.

"I had already left before they decided that but I would have to guess it was because he and Penny had proven to be the most reliable among us." Blake shared a confused look with Weiss. Sun had mentioned earlier that Jaune had killed a Deathstalker by himself but to single himself out as one of the strongest was incredibly hard to believe. Blake had spent a week beating him into submission during their training sessions. Jaune was improving but he never came close to actually challenging her.

Sun brought his scroll back up to his mouth as they neared their destination. "Pyrrha! What's going on over there now? Can you guys make it out of the canyon and help us pincer the Grimm?" That strategy probably made the most sense, Blake reasoned. Once they had dealt enough damage to the Grimm they would be able to simply turn around and fight their way back. With just twenty people it would've been impossible. With eighty, it shouldn't prove too difficult. They didn't even have to worry about Shirou. There was just the matter of finding Jaune left to figure out.

"Negative Sun!" Pyrrha yelled into her scroll before they heard her give a mighty shout as she battled against the Grimm. They heard a myriad of different creatures screaming and crying in the background. "We've got six injured over here and we're surrounded! We...we can't hold out for more than another couple minutes!"

"Ah shit!" Sun grumbled before turning his mic back on. "Everyone! Hang on! We'll be there in a couple seconds! Just no one die!" Before he even finished putting his scroll away his pace quickened a little.

"Hold on, Pyrrha." Yang whispered between breaths as she broke into the front of the pack. Blake sympathised with her right now. The only difference was they knew for certain her partner was alive. No! She couldn't think like that. He was alive. He was without a doubt alive! And the minute she saw him she would break his damn nose.

She used her enhanced vision to focus ahead of them and to take her mind off of thoughts of her partner. For some reason the ground ahead of them was incredibly dark, even to her. In fact, it was pitch black. That hardly made sense. Nothing was ever too dark for her to see. She stared at it a little more intently and realized the darkness was wriggling.

All at once it clicked. That wasn't the ground in the distance. It was a mass of Grimm so tightly packed together they looked like one entity. That was...without a doubt the location of Razor Canyon.

"That's a lot of Grimm." Ren noticed aloud and murmuring began to spread amongst the rest of their peers. It was unnerving how thickly they had gathered in one spot. Blake was positive she had never seen so many in her whole life. This simply proved how far removed from the kingdoms they truly were.

The Grimm were likely diving into the canyon a little at a time. As unintelligent as Grimm were even they knew not to just go jumping off cliffs but with that many of them in play she would bet the ones at the front were being shoved off by the others behind them.

"Is there even a good strategy for dealing with that many Grimm?" Neptune chuckled awkwardly as every second brought the group of them closer and closer to the overwhelming scourge ahead of them.

"We should just cut a path through the middle of them for now!" Weiss snapped as she immediately took command of them all. "Pyrrha and the others need immediate assistance! We can worry about clearing ourselves a path out once they're all safe!"

"That's an idea I can get behind!" Yang yelled as her gauntlets clicked and locked into their active mode.

"I take it we don't have any objections?" Sun began spinning his nunchaku around in a flashy display as he readied them.

"None here!" Neptune pulled out his weapon which unfolded into a gun.

Numerous shouts echoed behind them as everyone psyched themselves up for the oncoming bloodbath they were charging into.

Blake nodded to Ruby as she pulled out Gambol Shroud and Ruby unhooked Crescent Rose. Next to them she saw Lie Ren slip Stormflower out from his sleeves and Nora prepare her grenade launcher.

Blake let out a deep sigh as her body tensed for combat. She unsheathed the katana part of Gambol Shroud and it folded into its kama form. "This is it." She whispered under her breath. She could unleash all of the pent of anger she was feeling right now on the mob in front of her. She was honestly looking forward to a little release.

Silence settled over the group of students and the only sound that could be heard was their ragged breath and stomping feet as they neared their still unaware enemies.

The Grimm were making all kinds of horrendous sounds that blended together and formed one horrific hive noise. Finally, a couple of them turned around and saw them. Their red eyes shone brightly amid the mass of black and Blake raised Gambol Shroud into firing range.

"Fire!" Weiss shouted as Myrtenaster shot a bolt of lightning right from the tip. It burned a hole right through a line of Grimm in front of them and suddenly many more of the Grimm were aware of the new threat.

Before they had so much as a chance to react however, all the students simultaneously let out war cries as they followed Weiss' lead.

Sun's nunchaku fired off like a pistol and whipped backwards from the recoil before he slung the other one forward to shoot that one off too.

Neptune's gun shot balls of condensed electricity that spread to other Grimm once they hit one target.

"Outta my way!" Yang swung her arms viciously, each swing discharging a shell that blew the Grimm into hunks without any resistance.

Nora's Magnhild took apart groups at a time while Ren's Stormflower mowed down a row of them with practiced ease.

Ruby and Blake added their own gunfire to the mix as a plethora of other types of dust ammunition flew just over the top of their heads as everyone else rained fire down as well.

In a matter of seconds they had cleared a massive opening into the wall of Grimm that stood before them and they charged right into where their opponents were now just a lump of corpses.

Weiss merely created a glyph for herself to jump over them but not everyone else was nearly as lucky. There were so many dead Grimm that running became impossible and they were forced to trip and stumbled over the hunks of limbs and numerous appendages as they made their way forward.

Blake for her part leapt around the carnage with ease as she did everything in her ability to keep up with Weiss. Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose completely and spun it around in hurried arcs to clear her own path. The three remaining members of AWBR immediately put distance between themselves and the rest of their comrades.

Weiss landed in front of a pack of angry Beowulfs and slammed her sword into the ground. Spikes of ice sprouted from the ground in front of her and impaled the Grimm from below. As she straightened herself out a Boarbatusk charged her from the side.

"Not so fast!" Ruby appeared in a flash next to the boar-like Grimm and sent it flying into the air with a quick underhanded swing. Blake pointed her pistol skywards and pumped a couple bullets into its underbelly to finish it.

"You might want to stand back!" Yang caught up with them and charged right at Weiss' ice spikes. She jumped forward and slammed both fists into them simultaneously, causing them to shatter and shoot shards of ice in multiple directions. The shards buried into the hide of numerous Grimm, injuring most and killing some.

Blake glanced backwards for just a moment to see most of the others had switched to physical combat now as well. They had charged into the thick of the Grimm and the pathway behind them had sealed as the creatures had quickly filled in the gap they had caused. They were completely surrounded on all sides.

That was fine with her. She had no desire to go back anyways. Her only goal was to push forward. Her pistol unfolded back into a katana and she strolled purposefully into the closest pack of Grimm that she could. Both blades of Gambol Shroud swung meticulously as she beheaded three different species of Grimm before they could even react.

Ruby landed next to her and brought down several more just by swinging Crescent Rose in a simple arc. They were so tightly packed in by Grimm at this point they could literally swing anywhere and they would strike something.

It should have been a horrifying experience and it wasn't one she would ever want to go through again. Right now though, all these Grimm were mere annoyances to her. They were simply something standing between her and Jaune.

"Don't you think this is odd?" Weiss stabbed forward, her sword now glowing bright red.

Blake tilted her head questioningly as she cut through another couple Grimm. "What are you talking about?" She surely wasn't referring to the large amount of Grimm. It was exactly what they had expected to run into after all.

"I thought all manner of Grimm were supposed to be here?" Weiss attempted to clarify but it still didn't make much more sense to Blake. She could see dozens of variants in front of her. To name just a few, she saw Beowulfs, Ursa, Boarbatusk, Deathstalkers, Cacklers, Taijitu, and Creeps. There were flashes of numerous others of course but at this point she couldn't be bothered to name them all. Maybe when she was in a classroom but not in the midst of battle.

Weiss sighed as it was apparent her point wasn't coming across. "All the Grimm here are of the smaller variety. None of their larger brethren have appeared." Blake's eyes widened as she finally realised Weiss' point. Even the Deathstalkers and Taijitu that they were fighting were considerably smaller than full-grown and undoubtedly still young. What was the implication of that though? Worst case scenario, the older Grimm were biding their time and waiting for them to exhaust themselves on the younger. That was a terrifying notion but it wasn't impossible. There were bound to be several very ancient Grimm this far removed from the kingdoms. Ancient Grimm had a tendency to be a little more wise and instinctively more cruel than the younger.

As if it was a curse, the moment these thoughts had taken form the ground began shaking violently. "You just had to say something, Ice Queen." Yang grumbled from next to them as a low, loud moaning sound came from directly beneath them.

"Oh no…" Blake recognized that noise. Even the Grimm immediately around them began to scramble away in a hurry.

"What!? What is it?" Ruby attempted to maintain her balance after a rather violent quake.

"Dirge Wyrms." Blake quickly turned back to the others and inhaled as deeply as she could. "Everyone scatter!" She shouted at the top of her lungs even as she heeded her own words. She grabbed Ruby's hand and yanked her along as she scurried backwards and away.

"What's a Dirge Wyrm?" Weiss hadn't moved but Yang thankfully had the sense to grab the heiress by the waist and literally rip her off her feet as she retreated. "Hey!" Weiss cried indignantly.

The violent shaking stopped for a brief moment which let Blake know they were here. Silence had settled over the whole area as even the Grimm appeared too terrified to make a sound.

Then everything exploded into the action as hunks of the earth were ripped wide apart, sending large boulders flying in all directions and causing debris to rain down on students and Grimm alike. Some on both sides had been too close to the epicenter of these explosions and had been sent airborne themselves. Six giant worm-like creatures broke free from the earth and rose high into the air as they reached their maximum exposed height.

"That answer your question?" Weiss only nodded numbly at Yang's sarcastic remark. Blake couldn't blame her for being speechless. These Dirge Wyrms were massive. If she had to guess, one of them alone could probably swallow at least ten full-grown adults simultaneously. Add to that and they reached impossibly tall over their heads. Even if all sixty students stacked on top of one another and stood straight up they wouldn't even reach half the height of the monstrosities before them.

With loud crunches, the Dirge Wyrms chewed apart hunks of rocks, flexing their incredible jaw strength, as their heads finally turned downwards and towards everything beneath them. Their mouths consisted of four flaps, each one lined with more teeth than should have ever been necessary for any creature to have. More rocks were sent flying as the one closest to them continued to rip the boulder in its mouth apart and Blake was forced to dodge away with Ruby; just barely dodging one of the rocks as it smashed into the ground where they had just been standing.

"Shit! We've got injured over here!" Sun's voice called out over the mayhem and Blake turned to see at least four people had either been hit by the debris or had landed roughly after being propelled through the air.

"Weiss!" Blake turned to the heiress in panic. "We need a plan!"

"R-right!" Weiss quickly snapped out of her stupor as she assessed the situation. "We need anyone with explosive power to fire into their mouths! I need those most proficient in melee combat to gather the injured! Those with basic ranged ability need to distract these Dirge Wyrms and any of the other Grimm!"

"I'll get the injured then!" Yang immediately sprinted away from Weiss and made her way over to Sun and the girl he was helping up. "Nora! Ren! Help Weiss' group take this one down!" She shouted to her other two teammates as she passed them.

"Got it." Ren nodded.

"You can count on us!" Nora saluted before quickly sprinting over to join them.

"We've got Grimm coming from behind us!" Ruby pulled at Blake's sleeve and she turned around to see a group of Creeps charging right at them.

"Ruby!" Weiss called and they turned to her. "You and Ren hold off the other Grimm! I need Blake and her Semblance to help me distract the Dirge Wyrm so Nora can get in a clear shot!"

Blake nodded in understanding before patting Ruby's shoulder. "Good luck."

"You need it more." Ruby smirked playfully for just a second before her face got serious again. Ren ran past her and she quickly joined after him. Blake watched her back for a moment before the Dirge Wyrm let out another one of its loud, low moans. The other five all let out their own cries in response and for just a brief amount of time they synchronised together and formed an almost depressing melody. A Dirge indeed...Blake grinned dryly as she shook the thought loose. No one was dying here today. There would be no need for that kind of music.

She jogged up to Weiss who was hiding behind one of the fallen boulders and peeking at the Dirge Wyrm from around it. Fortunately for them, the bigger Grimm hadn't decided on who to go for yet. "Howdy there ladies!" Nora joined the two of them as well.

"Miss Valkyrie." Weiss greeted dryly while Blake merely nodded at her in greeting. Neither of them were particularly good at dealing with bubbly people like her, even in combat situations. "I need you to hang back and try to make your presence as small as possible until Blake and myself are able to get you a clear shot into its maw. Once you have it, unload as much as you can. We don't know how much is going to be enough to bring one of these things down."

"Okie Dokie!" Nora nodded seriously despite her more lackadaisical words.

"I'll go out first. My Semblance gives me a better chance at dodging." Blake peaked once more around to see the Dirge Wyrm's head had swung towards Ruby and Ren. She needed to distract it now.

"Blake." She turned back to Weiss, wondering what she wanted. They didn't have much time. Weiss fidgeted with her skirt and averted her eyes away as she blushed. "Thank you for listening to me. I know we don't get along well but I appreciate the trust you're putting in me."

Blake gave her a coy smile and almost chuckled. "Don't get too used to it. Once we get Jaune it's back to normal."

Weiss huffed before sighing in resignation. "That's fine."

"You two really think he's alive?" Nora asked, sounding genuinely curious. She likely had little reason to doubt her leader was wrong. That just proved how little she knew Jaune though.

"We do." She and Weiss answered in perfect synchronisation.

Just after answering Blake took off running. She couldn't afford to wait another second. The Dirge Wyrm was rearing its head back as it prepared to attack Ren and Ruby. Once more she transformed her one end of Gambol Shroud into a pistol and unloaded a couple bullets right at the head of the massive Grimm.

It gave a small start as the bullets pelted it, probably causing it nothing more than a minor itch at best. Still, she got its attention as it turned towards her and let out another one of its low moans. It lunged for her much more quickly than she had anticipated. Why were the big Grimm never actually slow? It was just plain counter-intuitive. She left one of her shadow clones behind and dashed out of the way. It smashed into the ground with its jaw wide up and sent hunks of earth flying in every direction.

Blake bent and and dodged out of the way as numerous hunks of rock flew by with such force that she could feel the air current they created. If a single one of those hit wrong it would likely puncture a hole right through her. Not a pleasant feeling, she was sure.

A trail of ice traveled up to the Dirge Wyrm while it still had its face buried in the ground and encased it completely in a solid block upon reaching it. Hopefully that bought them some time. No sooner did she think this than the ice cracked and splintered apart as the Grimm reared its head back and whipped itself around like a snapped cord. The mere size of the Grimm alone caused a strong gale to blow through as it did this and Blake was nearly picked up off her feet.

"I don't think trapping it is a good strategy!" Blake called over the torrent.

"You think!?" She barely managed to hear Weiss respond.

The Wyrm shook its head as it righted itself out and glanced between the two of them with its head. She didn't see any eyes on the Grimm but some way or another it was able to sense them. It opened its mouth wide and roared at them again but before it even had a chance to finish, five bursts of pink flew right for it. They smashed into it around the edges of its maw but none of them did any damage that appeared more than artificial and instead it appeared to get even more angry as it turned its gaze on Nora.

"Oops." She grinned sheepishly as Blake and Weiss both glared at her. They had expected her to shoot deep into its mouth in order to blow it up from the inside. Just hitting it around the head wasn't going to do anything.

"Damn." Blake clicked her teeth in annoyance as she unloaded several dust shots into the side of the massive Grimm. It completely ignored her now as it put all its focus into Nora. It lunged at her and she unfolded Magnhild into its hammer form and stepped onto the base of it before using it to launch herself backwards and away from from its maw. It slammed into the ground and immediately picked its head back up, crunching on the numerous rocks it had unearthed as it did.

They were in way over their heads against this thing. What choice did they have but to make it work? Every second they wasted trying to devise a way to kill this thing was a second they allowed those in the canyon to get overrun. Even if Grimm were no longer approaching from this end there was still another edge to the canyon that Grimm were undoubtedly pouring down from. They needed to hurry and end this.

If only there was a way to pin it to the ground so its mouth wasn't buried. Nora could fire right into it with no obstruction like that. If it was Jaune what would he do? Probably something crazy and borderline suicidal. He didn't have a ranged weapon so something to physically drag it down.

Drag it down...would that work? It was nuts to think that she could but with Weiss' help she might be able to pull it off. It was without a doubt something Jaune would try.

"Weiss! I need you to place an anti-gravity glyph above it!" Blake shouted as she took off running.

"My glyph won't be strong enough to bring something like that down! It would require too much dust!" Weiss shot at the Dirge Wyrm with lightning and it finally took its attention off Nora and turned towards her.

"What if you use it on me?" Blake didn't have long to wait for an answer. She was nearly to the base of where the Wyrm was protruding from the ground.

She saw Weiss' eyes light up in realisation even from this distance. "Just get yourself up there! I'll handle it!"

Blake smirked at her response. Her Jaune-inspired plan was a go. Now she just had to hope her luck held up as well as his usually did. She reached the Dirge Wyrm and without even missing a beat started running right up the side of it while using her Aura to increase her velocity. The Wyrm lunged at Weiss, causing the entire thing to even out and make it so she didn't have to run at such a vertical angle.

Just as the Dirge Wyrm straightened itself back out she reached the top of its head and created a clone to kick herself into the air above it. She spun around and landed upside-down on Weiss' glyph that had just appeared. An incredible pressure took over her body as her gravity was likely more than quintupled. The very force of Weiss' runes threatened to break her bones and caused her to grimace in pain.

She fought past the pain though and allowed the increased gravity to take effect and let herself plummet back down towards the Wyrm. She held both blades pointed directly downwards and slammed into the top of its head, her blades sinking into its flesh without resistance thanks to the force. The Grimm let out a loud roar in pain and she twisted her blades forward in an effort to guide the creature.

Her idea paid off and the Dirge Wyrm lunged forward and slammed itself against the ground. This time its mouth wasn't pointed directly into the earth and instead it continued to roar in pain as it slid across the earth.

"Nora!" Blake yelled.

"Now!" Weiss finished.

"Roger!" Nora crouched down on one knee and unloaded a barrage of grenades right into the Dirge Worms opened jaw. Blake heard several explosions beneath her as Nora's grenades exploded throughout the Grimm's interior. With a final, struggled roar the Grimm quit moving and died.

Blake sat atop of it for several moments trying to catch her breath. They had...they had done it! She couldn't believe that actually worked! That was insane. So many things could've gone wrong with that strategy the odds of it actually going right were insurmountably against her. She wanted to bust out into laughter.

She held it in though as she heard someone climbing up the side of the dead Grimm to join her. "Blake!" It was Weiss. "Are you okay? My glyph didn't increase your gravity too much did it?"

"I'll say it did." Blake groaned as she stumbled to her feet and pulled Gambol Shroud free. "I thought my ribs were going to pop out. My lungs still hurt." She paused for a second before nodding appreciatively to her. "Nice work."

Weiss let out a relieved snort before glancing to the others. "It looks like the others finished theirs off as well." Blake looked to see what she said was true. There were about six others to every one Wyrm they faced. They had beaten theirs with half the people. "Let's go meet up with Ren and Ruby." Weiss indicated towards the pair. The two of them had almost fought their way to the cliff-side. Just another dozen Grimm stood between them and the leaders. Yang, Sun, and his team were making their way over with the four that had been wounded. The others were beginning to migrate that way as well, still fighting off any Grimm that strayed too closely.

"What's the plan when we reach the others?" Blake asked as she and Weiss descended off the Dirge Wyrm.

"First I intend to get all the information I can from Pyrrha. We'll discuss our options once I know exactly what my uncle is up to." Weiss answered just as they stopped in front of Nora.

She was rubbing her head sheepishly at them and had an apologetic look in her eye. "My bad earlier." She mumbled.

Weiss merely sighed before shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. You performed admirably in the end." She walked directly past her and Blake hesitated for a moment. Should she say something to her? What would she say though? What did one normally say to make acquaintances feel better? Especially someone as usually hyper and vibrant as Nora.

"Thanks. You saved me there." Blake offered awkwardly. She supposed it was kind of true. If Nora hadn't fired when they told her the Dirge Wyrm may have just rolled over and crushed her under it.

Surprisingly her words seemed to have the desired effect as Nora broke into a huge grin. "Not a problem Blakey! Anything for a friend!" She patted her roughly on the back and Blake stumbled forward from the force. Friend? She wouldn't really call them friends...it had just been one battle. Wasn't that all it took for her to befriend Jaune? Why did it have to be so different with Nora? Blake let out a small smile.

Having more friends actually sounded nice.

She just really hoped it hadn't cost her one to finally realise that fact.

"Let's go help the others." Blake began to jog after Weiss and Nora nodded vigorously before trailing behind her with a renewed hop in her step.

* * *

Weiss snarled in frustration as she stabbed down a Beowulf that had the audacity to cross her path. Couldn't these retarded creatures understand that they had been beaten? Despite having started with overwhelming numbers they had slaughtered like the dull beings that they were.

She supposed she shouldn't expect more from something that's sole existence was to hunt down and kill humanity. A deafening roar echoed behind her and she whirled around to see another massive wave of Grimm approaching from the distance. Just great.

"I think we need to make a new decision quickly." Blake observed dryly as she and Nora jogged up to her.

"You think?" Weiss internally flinched at the sharpness in her own voice. She didn't mean to come across so frustrated all the time. She was making strides to at least try and be more pleasant to others. Not that their current situation was helping.

Weiss actually didn't dislike Blake at all. However, Blake seemed determined to despise her despite the fact that Weiss had never done anything to her that she was aware of. Regardless of the reasons, Weiss generally tried to be polite to her but that was incredibly hard for someone as confrontational as herself, especially when the other girl always seemed so determined to pick a fight.

She shook these thoughts off. No time for internal brooding. She could worry about her relationship with her teammates after they made sure their knuckleheaded leader was still breathing.

"Ruby!" She called just as the younger girl dispatched the last Grimm between them and the cliff. "Can you see the rest of the leaders?" Ruby did a quick scan of the canyon beneath them before her eyes lit up in excitement and she pointed to her left. "They're over there!"

"Well what are we waiting for?" Yang yelled as she jogged over to them. Most of the other students had joined them now as well. "Let's get them outta there!"

"No!" Weiss earned several confused looks as she approached the side of the cliff and looked down to see the canyon for herself. Huge vines covered the entirety of it and Grimm bodies were littered all over them place, some of them already smoking as they dissipated. Where Ruby had indicated she could see the remaining leaders form a defensive line around what appeared to be at least eight injured others now. That was more than half. They were using the vines above them as shelter but it wouldn't be much longer before they were overrun. "We need to head down there."

"Uh...we have injured with us." Sun indicated to the girl he was holding and the three others behind him that his teammates were helping.

"Bring them with us." Weiss brushed it aside with that and prepared to jump down.

"We should just bring them up here!" Someone else suddenly shouted and Weiss let out a frustrated sigh. "We all know you three just want to stick around so you can look for your dead leader! That doesn't mean you have to get the rest of us killed along the way!" Blake's hair bristled and Weiss saw her reach for Gambol Shroud as she turned to find whoever it was that said that.

Weiss stepped over and caught her by the wrist before she could do something they would all regret. Blake whirled on her and she stepped up to her while whispering quietly enough only for her to hear. "I've got this." She then turned back to everyone else. "Right now we have four injured compounded with eight injured down there. That's twelve injured total. Minus Jaune, there is seventy-nine of us altogether. How many combatants short are we?" No one responded and she clicked her teeth in anger. "It's simple math you buffoons! We don't have all day to wait for you to solve it!"

"Sixty-three."

"Wrong!" Weiss snapped at the boy that responded. "For every one injured person we have to assign two people to protect him! That's three people that are going to be heavily inhibited from any and all combat. Our twelve injured people on the run is costing us twenty-four additional combatants!" She was laying it on a little thick but she had to make a point.

The boy earlier was right in a way. Weiss' only real interest in staying was to make sure Jaune was alive. Weiss found it difficult to admit but she felt slightly indebted to him. He didn't have to make her the co-leader of the team. He hadn't even had to listen to her when she had tried to rip the title from him. Instead he had done both and had genuinely treated her like an equal when it came to managing the team. He actively sought her opinion and made sure the make her feel included despite how difficult she had initially tried to make his life.

Despite herself, Weiss had grown fond of Jaune. She would never tell this to his face and he still usually irritated her to no end with his antics, but it was at least true that a small part of her felt this way.

Fortunately for her, the remaining students began to murmur amongst themselves as they realised the truth to her words. It was time to drive home her point. "Now do you want to attempt to flee from here with only thirty-nine people dedicated to fighting? I sure don't like our odds. What if we get attacked by more of those Dirge Wyrms? We'll be annihilated with those paltry numbers! Nevermind half of us dying! We'd be lucky if even a fraction of us survived!"

"Then what do we do?"

"We can't just stay here!"

"There's got to be something else."

Shouts of panic assaulted Weiss and she only continued to glare at them all. It was Yang that stepped forward to answer them. "Just quit your bitching! I'm going after Pyrrha! We can figure all that other shit out after!" Without waiting for a response she turned and jumped into the canyon.

"Any objections?" Weiss only waited for a second. "Good." She turned and followed after Yang. Ruby, Blake, Ren, and Nora were right behind her. She heard all the others quickly decide to follow after. Soon the entire student body had landed on the vines that covered the canyon and were making their way to their leaders.

"Pyrrha!" Yang shouted as she blasted a couple of the Grimm out of the way. Without even slowing down she ran into her leader and tackled into her, knocking them both to the ground. That was all well and nice but they couldn't afford for everyone to have that touching a reunion. They were still right in the middle of this mad game after all and Grimm were pouring in from every direction.

"Everyone! Create a defensive circle around this point while I get the intel I need!" Weiss shouted her command back to everyone and reluctantly she heard them all agree. At least they had enough sense to still listen to her.

"Blake, Ruby, Ren, Valkyrie, Wukong! I need you over here with me! Bring the remaining injured with you!" Weiss continued to bark out orders and Sun rolled his eyes at Blake as he stepped past her.

"Come on guys, you heard her!" Sun and his team placed them down with the others while Blake walked up to Weiss with Ruby. The sound of battles had erupted in full force around them but they should be safe for now.

"B-Blake." Pyrrha greeted nervously as she broke away from a group hug that Ren had also somehow been yanked into. "I'm sor-"

"Just stop right there." Weiss cut her off. She had no desire to hear an apology from her now. She felt like if she let Pyrrha say it she would be admitting it was true. "Where is my uncle? Knowing him, he's picked an annoyingly strategic position to hide-out in."

"He is standing on a pillar on the canyon floor." Penny answered as she joined their group. Sun walked up with her. "There is only a small pathway connecting it to the rest of the ground. Jaune fell off the ledge trying to protect me." Weiss took note of her arm which appeared to be using Jaune's hoodie as a sling. She also caught Blake staring at it too, several different emotions crossed her face at once as she did.

"About how many people do you think could fight him on that pillar?" Weiss turned to Penny now as she asked her questions. Ideas were already forming in her head.

Penny appeared to consider for several moments before she answered. "Four would be the most efficient."

"You can't seriously be planning to go down and fight him?" Pyrrha muttered in disbelief.

"Of course we're going to fight him." Weiss looked around to the others to gauge for their reactions. Blake of course immediately nodded. She saw Ruby also nodding vigorously just next to her.

"There's enough of us now, isn't there? Why don't we just all jump him at once?" Sun offered and Weiss sighed in annoyance. He clearly didn't understand anything.

"It will not work." Penny shook her head sadly. "He was holding back against Jaune and myself. If he utilised his full strength he would easily cut down several of us with one swing."

"That would hardly be good for morale." Ren rubbed his chin as Penny's words soaked in. What he said was certainly true. If they all went down there as one big unit and a whole team got sliced apart with just one swing they would quickly fall apart as despair overtook them. Even if they won in the end it wouldn't be worth the losses.

"I know how he fights though." Weiss continued with her plan. "As long as myself and an elite team take him on together we should be able to win. I'm confident of it."

"Who did you have in mind?" Sun cracked his knuckles as he smiled eagerly, apparently even he wanted to take a crack at her uncle.

"I'm thinking Ruby, Lie Ren, and Miss Valkyrie should assist me." She got nods from the three she named off before turning to Blake, who was glaring daggers at her for not having been named. It made sense that Blake more than anyone wanted to defeat her uncle. He had caused all of this mess that had caught Jaune in the cross-fire to begin with. She probably felt entitled to a little payback.

"Calm down, Blake." Weiss spoke evenly as she matched Blake's glare with one of her own. "I need you to go retrieve Jaune from wherever it is he's managed to find himself." Immediately after the words left her mouth the look in Blake's eyes switched from menacing to one of grateful understanding.

"Pyrrha. You should continue to run things up here. You've done an excellent job thus far. I figured your partner, Yang, would want to stick close by to keep an eye on you too." Weiss sent Yang an even glare to which that blonde only grinned back.

"You're damn right about that! I'm counting on you to knock that bastard down a couple pegs Ruby." She pointed at her younger sister.

Ruby gripped Crescent Rose a little more tightly as her face settled into a determined scowl. "I'll make him pay for what he's done to Jaune."

"What about me? I want to come with you guys." Sun pleaded as he waved his hands animatedly.

Weiss nodded to him. "Pick someone from your team to accompany you. You'll be coming down with us to guard the injured. They'll be safest at the bottom levels of the canyon and away from the combat against the Grimm."

Sun's excitement almost instantly turned to pouting. "That sounds like glorified babysitting to me."

"I think it sounds like an important role." Blake gave Sun a small smile and she instantly noticed his tail perk up.

"Neptune and I are your guys!" He jumped up and saluted and Weiss could almost see Blake groan on the inside. Poor girl, how she had even caught that ruffian's attention Weiss would likely never understand.

"Everyone clear on their roles?" She looked around once again and they all nodded. "Good. Then let's make this happen." Immediately after saying this, Sun took off to his teammates to once again begin moving the wounded. Pyrrha and Yang meanwhile split off to help lead the others.

"I will help guide you down to Mr Schnee." Penny stepped forward and Weiss regarded her for another second.

"Very well. Lead the way then." She indicated off the side of the vine and deeper into the canyon. Penny strolled past them and jumped further into the darkness. Blake and Ruby were immediately behind her.

"Before we go, why Nora and myself?" Ren asked curiously and Weiss paused as she considered how to answer.

"I need a strong team if we're to have any hope of defeating my uncle. I fought alongside Miss Valkyrie earlier and as I understand it, you two are childhood friends. Your reputation speaks for itself, may I add." She had heard rumors of Ren's accomplishments before he had started attending Beacon. "You two were the most sensible choice to aide my partner and I."

Ren nodded at her words before indicating with his head towards Nora. Weiss watched the two of them go.

She took a hesitant breath now that no one was looking.

She would never admit it aloud but...her uncle frightened her.

The very thought that she was about to go up against him in combat was terrifying. She couldn't back out now though. Who else would defeat him but her? She knew him best. It was her duty to do this.

With a resigned sigh she followed after the others.

* * *

Ruby followed just behind Penny as she led them deeper into the darkness. She peered at Blake out of the corner of her eye as they walked in complete silence. It was kind of unsettling. Just moments ago they had been surrounded by the constant sound of combat and now it echoed just faintly above them. Nora's humming was the only noise emitted from their current group.

Ruby's mind wandered to thoughts of Jaune as the descended. Was he really alive like Weiss and Blake proclaimed? Ruby couldn't be so sure. She wanted to believe he was alive. She wanted to do it so badly it made her heart ache.

However, she had been through this before when waiting for her mother to return. When it finally became apparent that she wouldn't the feelings of disappointment, sadness, and anger that had washed over her were beyond compare. Despite feeling like this she knew she had to at least appear optimistic. For Blake and Weiss' sake anyways.

Maybe Penny had just saw it wrong? Maybe he wasn't as bad off as they thought they witnessed? "So...Penny." Ruby drawled, deciding to verbally confirm it.

"Yes Miss Rose?" Penny asked without turning around. Ruby tilted her scroll a little so the light from it was beaming against the back of her head.

"It's possible you just didn't see what happened properly right? Maybe Jaune is actually really okay and you two just didn't realize it?" Despite herself hope cracked into her voice. She opened her mouth to continue but Blake's hand on her shoulder silenced her. She turned to the other girl and she was shaking her head at her. Why though?

"...I was closer to Jaune when it happened than you are to me right now." Penny began to answer. Ruby could almost hear the contained sadness and frustration in her voice. "That Grimm's claw undoubtedly went all the way through his stomach. It was protruding out of his back." Ruby's foot tripped and she nearly stumbled forward. Blake helped keep her in place. "Then a rock fell and-"

"Enough." Blake snapped quietly. Ruby was thankful for that. She didn't want to hear anymore. She shouldn't have asked to begin with. That was what Blake had been trying to tell her.

"Perhaps we should discuss something else?" Ren voiced behind them. "Perhaps Shirou Schnee's Semblance? Or his weapon?"

Ruby's curiosity was piqued at the idea of learning about his weapon. It wasn't enough to remove the morbid image of a gaping hole in Jaune's stomach but it was a start.

"His katana has a dust revolver similar to Myrtnaster. The abilities of it are numerous and it depends on which canisters he brought with him. I'll have to figure out what he intends to do on the fly. Just be prepared for anything. His skill with that sword is beyond compare." Ruby looked back to see Weiss unconsciously rubbing the scar on her eye.

"His Semblance is just as difficult to deal with. Father always called it Prediction Line. Basically, uncle sees a projection of what you're going to do several seconds before you're going to even do it." Well that just sounded unfair. Ruby liked to think her Semblance was pretty useful but if this guy could predict her before she was even there then what good was it?

"How does it just know?" Blake asked and Ruby could almost see the gears in her head spinning. Ruby wished she was going to stay and help them fight. She understood that checking for Jaune was more important of course.

"How do any of our Semblances actually work?" Weiss snapped back, clearly frustrated. "It could be numerous things. Maybe it reads our minds? Maybe it uses the tension in our joints and muscles? Maybe it just actually sees into the future? I don't know."

"We'll I'm sorry! I'm just trying to come up with our best strategy!" Blake immediately snapped back. Neither one of them would even look at the other and Ruby finally realised how stressed they were as well. Despite their firm claims that Jaune was alive they clearly had their doubts. The longer they went with seeing him the worse the tension became. What had started as an uneasy truce between them was crumbling quickly as the desperation to verifying Jaune's life got stronger.

What would happen if they actually found him dead then? Their team would almost surely fall apart. Jaune had been like the glue keeping them together before. Without him, they weren't even a real team. Suddenly, Ruby much more desperately wanted to believe he was alive. If she lost him...she would lose them as well. She didn't want that. She wanted to go on adventures for years with her new friends. She had planned to explore the world with them while defending it. It was impossible to think that would all end before it had truly even begun.

"We're here." Penny interrupted as they came to a floor of overlapping roots. A hole big enough for several people was already cut away and Ruby was surprised to see the entire floor beneath them awash in light.

One by one they jumped into the hole and landed on the canyon floor. Ruby immediately took in their surroundings. Strange bulbs hanging by the roots hung above them and provided their light. Just ahead of them was Jaune's chest armor and pauldrons. He must have taken them off to give Penny his hoodie. In the corner she saw the cracked wall where Jaune must have fallen. The floor in front of it was littered with blood. With his blood. She averted her gaze even as Blake continued over to it.

Ruby's eyes settled onto Shirou Schnee. The moment she saw him she felt anger well up inside of her gut. This man...this man right here was the reason Jaune had been put in this situation. She would make him pay. She unfolded Crescent Rose on instinct and began walking over to him.

"Ruby, wait!" Weiss called as she jogged around to the front of her.

"Wait for what?" Ruby almost yelled. "We're here to beat him so let's do it!" Weiss couldn't seriously mean to defend this man? This man right here was the cause of everything! Even if it had been her own uncle Qrow Ruby wouldn't have forgiven him!

"We will. I promise. Just give me a minute with him." She also nodded back towards Ren and Nora and Ruby turned to see they looked just as ready to begin as she was. Just behind them, Penny was helping Sun and his team lower the remaining injured down.

"Why don't we just shoot him from here?" Nora asked as she readied her grenade launcher.

"Don't!" Weiss warned in panic. "Look at where he's standing. I guarantee you he won't make a move unless we move onto his territory; onto that pillar he's standing on. If you attack him from over here you are 'inviting' him into our territory. That puts all the others at risk as well. He'll attack anyone over here." She nodded once more to the injured.

"You know me and my games all too well, dear niece!" Shirou called out tauntingly and Weiss whirled back towards him. She began to walk menacingly towards him and Ruby hurried after her.

"You!" Weiss declared as she stopped just short of the pathway leading to his pillar. "Is this how you get off now? Picking on the young and attempting to crush them and their dreams?"

Shirou cocked his head questioningly at her but his creepy smile didn't falter. That smile of his disgusted Ruby now. How could he look so happy after being so sure he had caused someone to die. "I don't understand your confusion. This is how I've always gotten my kicks. You know as well as I do that this is no more than a game. If you die I win. If you break my scroll you win. It's not too hard to understand, is it?"

"Just don't act like a sore loser when we win." Weiss stamped her foot and unhooked her sword, having apparently said her piece.

Shirou shifted his gaze towards Blake. "And just where do you think you're going Miss Belladonna?" He asked as Blake stared off the edge off the cliff where Jaune had fallen.

"I'm going to bring my partner back." Blake stated simply before turning the most angry glare Ruby at ever seen her make at him. "Don't worry. I'll be back to rip your throat out once I have him." She snarled before jumping down and vanishing into the darkness.

"He's dead you know?" Shirou called after her but she had already disappeared.

Ruby didn't know why but when she heard him say it she felt the anger arise anew. This bastard had no remorse at all! He was...he was a disgrace to everything she looked up to in a Hunter. She would make him pay for destroying Jaune's dreams of the future. When Blake came back Shirou would be at their mercy and Ruby would let her rip his throat out as promised.

That is...if she didn't chop his head off first.

"I'm done waiting." She declared as Crescent Rose unfolded completely and she stepped on the back of the blade. She discharged a shot and was immediately launched off the ground and onto the pillar. Shirou smirked maliciously as he raised his sword. Her silver eyes met his icy blue.

She was going to avenge Jaune right now.

Whether he was alive to see it or not.

* * *

 **AN:** So, that's that. Sorry about the wait after such a cliffhanger. Not that it was resolved just yet. I'll get there, I swear.

The Dirge Wyrms were based off of the Werewyrms from the Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies. If you've seen the movie just picture them but more...Grimm-like and you'll be good. So what did y'all think of them. Terrifying? Awesome? Not-so-much? It's harder to convey the terror when it's not through Jaune's eyes I feel because everyone else has a little more experience. Still, I like to think I made it a little difficult for them.

Weiss and Ruby finally got to have their perspectives shown. I initially wrote this all from Blake's perspective but decided it got a little redundant. I can only convey that she doesn't believe Jaune is dead in so many ways. Also, Ruby and Weiss are tagged as main characters in this story yet Penny has had more development than them and she's only been around for a couple chapters. Time I kind of try to fix that. I'm still a little unsure on how well I played out their emotions to the idea Jaune is dead. I kept them more or less stuck in the denial and anger stages of grief and I feel that just didn't have a ton of emotional pay-out. There'll be more next chapter to be sure, however.

Shirou's Semblance was briefly explained this chapter but you really haven't seen it much in action yet. I based the idea off of the Knight of One's Geass from Code Geass but it would probably be easier for most of you to picture it like the Sharingan's prediction ability from Naruto.

A beautiful friendship between Blake and Nora is born? They don't ever get to talk. It's time someone remedied this!

Next time, Weiss leads her team against her uncle while Blake seeks out Jaune.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 14 - Alive_

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

* * *

This was it.

He was dead.

Jaune Arc was absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt...dead.

If he was dead though...why the Hell did it still hurt so much?

He thought that when you died the pain was supposed to just stop.

Either death wasn't actually that merciful or...dare he even tempt the thought; he was alive?

His eyes cracked open and his vision swam into focus. He was...on his back. Okay, that made sense. Kind of. Maybe not? He wasn't sure anymore. His head was killing him and that made it really hard to form coherent thoughts. Now that he considered it, he hurt all over. Which was only natural. He had just been put through the ringer...or had he? What had even happened? He wasn't sure. It was like there was this big gaping hole in his memory and no matter how hard he tried to reach for it, it slipped through his fingers.

So he gave up and instead focused on his limbs. In order to get to the bottom of this he needed to be able to move and feel first. His hands opened and closed on command and he felt his toes curl. That was a good sign. All his extremities were still in place. They also felt really...wet? In fact, he was completely soaked all the way through and he realized he was partially submerged. With a start he shot straight up and into a sitting position, splashing water everywhere.

His head was not a fan of such sudden movements and his vision blanked out for several seconds and it sounded like warning bells went off inside of his brain, deafening him. He brought his hands up and held his throbbing head as he willed himself not to lose consciousness. For just a moment it seemed like a lost cause and he was afraid oblivion was going to claim him once again but by some miracle he held out. His vision returned and the ringing subsided as the ache dulled.

"Ughh…" He groaned aloud and heard it echo across the cavern or wherever he was. He paused for several seconds after hearing his own voice. There was no way...he was actually alive? How was that even possible?

Slowly he began to take in his surroundings, terrified of what he might see around him. In the end, there wasn't much. He was sitting in ankle-deep water that was somehow glowing a bright blue colour and illuminated the entire cavern. He peered a little more ahead and saw the water was much deeper only about a metre over.

Assuming he was alive, that meant he was somewhere in Razor Canyon, right? How did he get down here? What had happened? The last thing he remembered was hugging Penny after they'd been attacked by...something...what had he fought again? He remembered engaging Shirou in combat. Penny was injured. Then lots of panic and then nothing. What the heck was going on? Did he suffer some kind of head injury?

Very carefully he prodded the back of his head. He didn't feel any swelling or something like a cut but he did feel something odd. He pulled his hand back to stare at what it was to see dried blood caked onto his fingertips. At least he wasn't going crazy. Maybe a solid blow to the head had just caused him to lose the last few minutes? As he considered this he rubbed his sore stomach and his hand grazed across his skin. Wait...what?

With a horrified gaze, he turned his attention down to his stomach. His hoodie and armour were gone and he only had his orange t-shirt on. On the right side of his t-shirt was a big gaping hole that exposed his completely unharmed flesh. Just beneath the hole and trailing down his right pant-leg was heaps of blood. His blood. There was so much of it. How was he even possibly alive?

Did his Aura do this? It was almost impossible to think it was capable of this much. What's more, it still felt like it was fine. His reserves didn't feel full but his Aura by no means felt even close to low. Just what in the Hell was going on? Someone must have saved him, right? It was the only logical conclusion. His hand brushed against something and he saw Crocea Mors lying next to him, just submerged beneath the glowing water. He drummed his fingers against it thoughtfully.

"You're not entirely wrong, you know?" He gave a small yelp at the feminine voice that came from just behind him. He splashed to his feet and fumbled haplessly for his sword which was still in its sheath. Once he was up and had it he whirled around to see possibly the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes upon.

She had long blonde hair, twirled into a ponytail that then hung over her right shoulder and trailed down her chest. Her deep blue eyes were overflowing with kindness and instinctively he lowered his guard just by looking into them. A small tiara sat nestled into her hair and accented her armour beautifully. She had slender cerulean pauldrons and a breastplate that extended to her equally eloquent skirt which trailed to her sturdy metal boots. She looked like a warrior princess right out of one of his fantasy tales.

She giggled lightly at his expression and he relaxed the rest of the way. It didn't appear that she meant him any harm. Her earlier words finally registered and he inclined his head slightly as he tried to figure out what she meant. He hadn't even said anything so what was she talking about?

"I was referring to the fact that it was your Aura that saved your life." He gave another start as her crystal-like voice answered his questions without him even asking them. Could she read his mind?

"It's not something quite as simple as mind-reading." Okay, well. That answered that.

"Who are you? Did you save me?" He averted his gaze away from her as he asked these questions. She was so beautiful that he almost felt like he was dirtying her just by staring. Oh crap, she probably heard that thought too.

"I didn't do anything. You saved yourself. Although it's no surprise you don't remember it." She answered before making a soft humming noise. "As for who I am, that's a little more difficult to answer. The most truthful answer is a memory. That probably doesn't make much sense to you though, am I correct?"

"Y-yeah." Jaune turned his eyes towards her boots. She was sitting on top of a small rock and her feet dangled in the air just above the water.

"Hmm…" The mysterious girl tapped her fingers against the rock as she considered how best to answer. "...I suppose you could call me your predecessor?"

"That doesn't make it much more clear." He shook his head. "Maybe you should start from something I can actually understand?" Why did everyone he knew always like to beat around the bush? Couldn't people just be more forward once in awhile?

The girl giggled and waved her hand apologetically. "My bad, my bad. I'm still trying to get acclimated with your memories. I understand your confusion now. You're not even aware of your own Semblance, are you?"

"My...Semblance?" His head throbbed in pain for a moment and he gripped the right side of his face as he grimaced.

"That's right. Your Semblance. Put simply, you have the power to link people together using your Aura." Wait, what? She needed to slow down. He may have just been thinking a little bluntness was good but he didn't need so much thrown at him at once either.

"You're a troublesome one to please, you know? I said that was put simply." Okay, maybe he just had to analyse this for a second. This girl said she was acclimating herself with his memories. Which meant what exactly? She also clearly knew what he was thinking. Although, he supposed if he considered his past thoughts as memories it suddenly became clear.

"So you're not reading my thoughts...you're reading-"

"Your memories, that's correct." Okay, he supposed that made sense. Maybe. At this point did anything ever really make sense?

"So when you said you were my predecessor you meant that you had this Semblance when you were alive?" She nodded and he felt a little proud of himself for having to be able to piece at least that much out. "How long ago are we talking about though? I feel like I'd have heard of someone like you in all the stories I've been told."

She rested a finger on her cheek as she considered his question. "Hmm...it would've been several centuries at least. It was back when humans were still learning how to harness and utilise dust. I must say, you've all come a long way since then. Most of our stories were still being passed on orally so it's no surprise that the ones about me were lost." That sounded...a little sad actually. She had the bearing of someone that was once a great heroine and yet not a soul remembered her?

"It's not all that bad actually. Besides, you remember me now."

"So our Semblance-" Should he name it something?

"Arc Link. That's what I always called it."

"Arc Link." That's pretty cool actually. He liked it.

"Thank you."

"So I'm able to see you right now because we're linked together? That just makes you a ghost or something?" He considered trying to touch her for a second before the idea caused his face to go beet-red in embarrassment.

"I prefer to think of myself as a memory, actually." She pouted slightly at being called a ghost. Right, he would remember that. "Arc Link is very much a Semblance of memories as I'm sure you'll come to realise in time."

"Why memories?" He questioned as he finally brought his eyes up to meet hers again. Once he locked contact with them he found it almost impossible to look away.

"Of course it would be memories. There is nothing that bonds people together more powerfully than the memories you share with them, wouldn't you agree?" He supposed that made sense.

There was one other thing bugging him though. "How did I wind up with this Semblance? I'm not really all that great at bonding with people and if I'm being honest I'm usually pretty awkward around others. It doesn't seem like this Semblance makes much sense for someone like me."

The girl gave him a small, amused smile. "Semblances are many things. Sometimes those things are a reflection of your deepest desire. You, Jaune Arc, want nothing more in the world to be useful to someone. Blake Belladonna, who unlocked your Aura, wanted nothing more than someone she could trust. You two had just formed one of the most powerful memories of your combined lives. It's only natural that this would be the outcome, isn't it?"

"I suppose so?" All this thinking was really starting to make his head hurt. Not that his head had yet to stop hurting since he woke up. He was honestly still flabbergasted he was alive at all. "Why can't I remember what happened? It seems like if my Semblance had to do with memories I would be able to recall how I got here."

The girl opened her mouth to respond but a loud bubbling in the distance interrupted them. He tilted his head to see a rather large rippling had started in the middle of the lake. Something was about to emerge. He had no desire to know what.

"I suppose this is about all the time we have to talk." The girl's smile turned sad. "I was having so much fun too. It's been so long since I've gotten to have a conversation with someone."

"Wait, where are you going?" He asked suddenly in a panic. He still had so many questions to ask. What was that thing over there beneath the water? How did he even use his Semblance? How was he supposed to get out from here? Where exactly was here?

"That is quite a few questions. I don't have the time to answer all of them. Once your concentration breaks our connection will be lost and I'll fade from existence." No way. He didn't want her to leave yet. "We'll be able to talk again someday. You'll need to learn how to better manipulate your Aura though before that can happen. Anyways, good luck Jaune. I hope to see you again."

"What about your name!?" She had never even given him that.

She opened her mouth and he saw her form the words but the sound of her voice never reached his ears as whatever it was burst from the water with a mighty roar, stealing his attention.

Five serpent-like heads thrashed wildly as they sent water spraying in all directions. He gulped nervously as the terrifying red eyes of every head turned their undivided attention towards him. He recognized this creature from the stories of his ancestors. It was a freakin' Hydra.

"What the Hell am I supposed to do against that thing?" He chuckled as he took several nervous steps backwards and glanced towards the girl.

She was gone.

There wasn't so much as a trace that she had ever even been there to begin with. Well, he supposed that was typical. She did say that would happen after all. The sound of the Hydra swimming through the water redrew his attention and he realised in fear that it was charging him. Of course it was coming after him. Who else would it come for?

He let out a tired sigh. Seriously? He had just dodged death by the skin of his teeth. Now he had to face this thing? Out of the frying pan and into the fire, he supposed. Directly above him was nothing but open air where he had probably fallen from. The walls were smooth and would be impossible for him to climb. The pillar that undoubtedly had Shirou at the top was to his right and it was no better. He looked behind him. A large cavern cut into the wall of the canyon and continued farther than he could see. Should he risk fleeing into it?

The alternative was stay and fight this thing with nothing to use for cover...that probably didn't leave him with the best of odds. Several of the heads roared at him and he realised he only had about another two seconds to make a decision or it would be made for him. "Damnit!" He spun completely around and begin to sprint as quickly as he could away from the Hydra.

He kicked water in all directions as he struggled to run efficiently through the ankle-deep pond. It was hardly an easy task and he heard the Hydra's feet touch down on the ground just behind him. The good news was it was probably slower at running than swimming. The bad news was that he still wasn't exactly very fast and that thing was much bigger than him.

Still, he liked his odds better fleeing as opposed to fighting. That thing had five heads for crying out loud! How was he supposed to combat that with just a sword and shield?

He had a Semblance now...kind of. He had no idea how it worked and she said it linked people together. Did that mean he needed to be around others for his Semblance to do anything? That really wasn't super helpful given his present circumstance.

Wait a second...his scroll! He could call for help! Surely they all thought he was dead. He could let them know otherwise. While still struggling to run he began fumbling in his pocket for the device. He finally got it and raised it up to his mouth. "Pyrrha! Can you hear me?"

Nothing. In fact, he hadn't even heard the mic click on. He stole a glance at his scroll to see the screen was cracked and the device was powered-off. Of course it was broken. Why would something actually work when he needed it to?

He was officially on his own.

Despite his better judgement he checked behind him. Oh yeah, the Hydra was closing in on him quick. The body of that thing alone was as tall as he was. Two powerful claw-like legs propelled it forward at faster than he would be capable unhindered. While he was thinking about it, he might as well mention the five, serpent-esque heads that were each on necks longer than he was tall.

Great, just great. How many different ways could that thing rip him apart? Probably more than he could imagine. If he didn't come up with something soon he wouldn't exactly need to imagine it.

The walls of the cavern he had sprinted into were smooth and formed an almost perfect half-circle around him. There was still nothing for him to use as cover. Wait...was that a small opening ahead of him there?

It was! A small crack appeared in the wall just ahead and to his right. It looked just big enough for him to squeeze into which meant there was no way the Hydra could follow after him with its bulky size.

What was the plan after he got in there? He could worry about that later. Getting in there and surviving at all was obviously the more important first step. Everything else came after. Not that he liked his odds for making it there.

It was still a solid ten metres away and the Hydra was on him now. As in, right now. If he didn't turn around and block it was going to rip him in half. He needed a good strategy to stop five heads.

Time to do something crazy.

He stopped hard and spun around to face the Hydra. It gave a mighty roar and he almost just spun back around to keep running. No, he couldn't do that! He had been through way too much to let it end here. He unsheathed Crocea Mors but kept his shield still in its sheath form. He then chucked it into the air and raised his sword up like one would hold a baseball bat. Just as his sheath fell back down he swung at it with all his might and with a loud clang he smacked it and sent it flying right at the head closest to ripping him apart.

It spun through the air with incredible velocity and smacked into the side of the Hydra's face. The moment it made contact, the sheath popped open from the force of the impact and it bounced sideways and flew directly into the head next to it. That head was knocked into its neighbour while his shield flipped through the air and back towards him.

Three heads were now dazed but he still had two more coming right for him. He jumped in the air and outstretched his hand above his head as he reached for his shield. His fingers barely grasped it by the edges but it was enough. He pulled it down hard just in time to smash it into the top of the second to last head.

He landed in a crouch and immediately dove backwards as he tucked into a ball so he could roll away from the last head, just barely dodging as it snapped its mouth shut right where he had just been.

So far so good he mused as he stumbled to his feet. His shield was poised in front of him and his sword held up and at the ready. The crack in the cavern was still another eight meters away but the Hydra was eyeing him much more warily now than it had before as a couple heads were still clearly dazed from his attacks. He would just have to creep slowly and carefully to it until he was close enough to dive right in.

The Hydra hopefully wouldn't make any more sudden movements as it regarded him with bated concern. Even if it had five heads, none of them wanted to be the one to lunge into range of his weapon and get its head lopped off just so the others could rip him apart. He supposed this meant two heads weren't always better than one. Or five, in this case.

As he thought all this he continued to creep closer to his salvation. Just six more metres to go. He had this. He totally had this. The Hydra snarled at him as one head began creeping far to his right. He pointed his sword at it and followed its movements carefully while also making sure to keep an eye on the rest out of the corner of his eyes. Every couple steps he took the Hydra took one big step to maintain the distance between them.

Four metres to go.

He was going to make it.

No sooner did he think that damning thought than the back of his foot caught on a jagged rock and he stumbled and fell backwards, flailing madly in an attempt to prevent the inevitable. With a loud splash he landed on his butt and his weapons clattered on the ground just beneath the water's surface. Immediately after this all happened the Hydra lunged.

Was this a joke? He had just performed one of the coolest stunts of his life and had been only a few backwards steps from salvation! For it to all go to shit because of a small rock and his clumsy balance, how was that even right?

He had been through way too much for this to be the way he went. He finally had a Semblance and he wasn't even going to get to use it. Just how much did life want to screw with him before it was done? Seeing as he was about to die he guessed this was the answer.

On instinct he closed his eyes as the heads descended upon him and waited for the immense feeling of pain as the creatures ripped apart his limbs and the undoubtedly gruesome noises they would make while they enjoyed their bloody feast.

Surprisingly, it was the sound of flesh being ripped apart that came before the immense pain he expected. Had he gone into immediate shock and simply couldn't feel anything anymore? No, that wasn't right. He could definitely still feel all his limbs and he hadn't been yanked into the air as the five heads pulled him apart and fought amongst themselves for his more juicier parts. Seriously, why was he thinking such morbid crap?

His thoughts were interrupted as something big hit the ground right next to him and sent a small wave of water over him. He coughed and sputtered while trying to open his eyes but something else fell and he was once again blasted by the glowing liquid and he was forced to close them once again.

Was the ceiling above them collapsing? He really hoped not. He had already filled his life quota of running out of collapsing caves. Regardless, he didn't know what else it could be and brought his shield above his head in order to protect himself.

Three more large objects hit the ground before he heard the Hydra in front of him collapse. He waited several seconds for more to happen but it seemed like it was over. Carefully he peaked around the side of his shield. All five of the Hydra's heads, right down to the base of the necks, had been severed and were lying on the ground around him. Blood oozed out and dyed the immediate vicinity a sickly purple colour as it mixed in with the glowing blue water.

His eyes trailed to the body of the Hydra which was collapsed right in front of him. As his eyes continued to follow it upwards they landed on a pair of feet standing on the back of the now deceased Grimm.

His eyes widened in realisation as he stared at the pair of black heels that he would recognise anywhere. There was just no way though. It wasn't possible.

His eyes continued upwards and took in the amazing sight of the girl that couldn't possibly be standing before him. His blue eyes met with her equally disbelieving yellow ones.

"Blake…" His mouth breathlessly said the name of the girl that had just saved him from certain doom. Gambol Shroud still dripped with the blood of the beheadings it had just performed.

She gave a small start at the sound of his voice and he saw her bow twitch as if her cat ears were attempting to confirm that they had in fact heard him say anything at all. Her eyes broke contact with his and began to dart all over his body as if they were trying to convince herself that he really was there at all. He noticed each time they lingered on one of his former injuries, which wasn't surprising.

He looked like Hell he imagined. His armour was missing, the back of his head was matted with blood, he had a gaping hole in his shirt and the whole right-side of his pants were dyed red with even more blood. In short, it had been a rough day.

Blake's eyes finally looked back into his own and several awkward moments passed as he waited for her to say something and she likely did the same. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and struggled to his feet, splashing water everywhere and creating the first sound either had heard since he had whispered her name.

As he was standing he gave his shirt a couple shakes in an attempt to get some of the water out before looking up to her and grinning awkwardly. "Hey." He mumbled out, unsure of what else there was to say. How could he possibly express his gratitude to her in words? Whenever it seemed like he was down and out she pulled through for him in the end. She really was the best partner in the world.

Blake's eyes flashed between so many emotions there was no way he could've possibly registered them all and with a small hop she landed a couple steps away from him. "You…" For the first time in what felt like forever she spoke to him. It was such a relief for him to hear too. How he had missed it! He had been afraid since this whole excursion started that he would never get to hear it again.

"You…" She repeated and he noticed her arms and legs trembling, her eyes were obscured by her black bangs. She took a shaky step towards him and he noticed her breathing become more erratic. Was she going to be okay? She took another step, and then another. Now she stood directly in front of him yet he still couldn't see into her eyes.

Her shoulders were hunched upwards and she was shaking so violently it looked like she was ready to explode. Should he say something to her? Probably. She was starting to worry him now. "Uh-" Just as he opened his mouth and began to stutter something out everything happened at once.

"You fucking jerk!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs and he recoiled on pure instinct. It wasn't just the volume in her voice but the look of pure rage in her eyes as she finally tilted her head up to glare at him. Before he could so much as stumble away from her his vision flashed white and he was knocked back onto his butt as Blake undoubtedly sucker-punched him in the nose.

"Ah! What the hell Blake!?" He screamed as he cupped his hands around his face. Blood trickled into his palms as he turned to glare up at her, tears obscuring his vision. "I think you broke my nose!" What kind of a greeting was that? He had expected a hug or something but definitely not this.

"Your nose?" Blake yelled in a strange mix of exasperation and still enraged undertones. "You _fell_ off a cliff after losing consciousness! You had a Grimm rip a damn hole straight through your stomach and you're worried about your nose!?"

"I don't remember any of that!" What he did currently remember was her blasting him in the nose with her fist just a second ago. It was also very true that she had just saved his life moments before that. If she was really that angry at him it must've been for a good reason. His glare softened and he lowered his hands to his sides, allowing the blood to fall freely from his face and further stain his shirt.

"Jaune! We thought you were dead! Everyone thinks you are dead!" She vaguely gestured behind her as she continued to scream at him. Her voice cracked and her lips began to quiver.

"Blake, I'm sorry." He whispered as he stared directly into her eyes, trying to convey how much he really meant that. He had never wanted this to happen.

The anger in her own eyes dissipated and she slowing slumped to her knees. " _I_ thought you were dead." She choked out before giving a small heave. Tears threatened to fall and almost on instinct he raised his hand up to her face to wipe them away. He stopped just short however, unsure of himself.

Blake gave another choked sob and finally the tears began to roll down her face. Jaune had to mentally kick himself in the head. There wasn't any time for hesitation. His partner needed him right now. "Hey...it's alright." He brought his thumb just next to her eye and wiped the latest tears away, careful to keep his still bloody palm from contacting her face. "I'm alive. You know I'm alive now."

She gave a shaky breath and leaned her cheek into his hand, causing him to smear blood all over it. If it bothered her at all she didn't even show it. Still, he felt uncomfortably staining her face with his blood and pulled his hand back. Before he got more than a couple centimetres her hand shot upwards and grabbed him by the wrist and in one fluid motion yanked him forward.

"Wha-" He fell into her without resistance and Blake shifted forward to meet him halfway. Their chests smacked into each other, slightly winding him and before he knew it Blake wrapped her arms around his back and rested her head on his shoulder. Her body shook violently as she began to sob freely onto him.

"You're alive...you actually are alive." She repeated this again and again as he awkwardly returned the intense hug she was giving him. Unknowingly, tears had crept into his own eyes and now slid down his face as well as he held his partner. To think that someone cared for him this much...while all he had done was selfishly try to chuck his life away.

"Blake, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." His grip on her tightened a little and he buried his face in her ebony hair. He had no idea how long they sat there and held one another but he figured it must have been awhile. Yet, it might not have been long at all. He really didn't know.

One way or another, the moment came to an end as Blake pulled back and wiped her face to remove the dried tears that stained it. Jaune almost immediately missed the warmth of the hug and had to fight the urge to pull her back in. As much as he wanted to, they had to start thinking of ways to escape. The others surely needed them still.

"Ruby really misses you." Blake's voice cracked as she got to her feet.

"Yeah?" Jaune asked happily as he did the same. "I miss her too." He even missed Weiss right now. He couldn't wait to see the two of them again. It felt like it had been forever but in truth it had only been a few hours. Constantly fighting for your life could do that to you.

"Shall we g-" Blake's voice was cut off as the headless Grimm behind her lurched to life. Before either of them were capable of reacting, ten heads sprouted from the decapitated sections and one of them grabbed Blake between its massive jaws.

"Blake!" Jaune screamed in horror as he jumped forward just a second too late. The Hydra got to its feet and the head yanked her into the air even as the other nine heads lunged at him. Blake let out a horrendous scream of pain and her blood flew through the air as the Grimm held her high as if claiming its prize.

He saw red as anger dictated every move. He didn't dare pull away from the heads or retreat to safety while his partner and most important friend was in mortal peril. Instead he charged the revived Hydra with only his bare fists; Crocea Mors still on the ground behind him. "Give her back you ugly bastard!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as he dodged and swung viciously at any head that got even close to him, battering some aside and slipping under the others.

He jumped onto the neck of the head that was holding Blake and swung himself so he was on the back of it and shimmied up to the top as quickly as possible. The other heads froze as they tried to figure out how to bite into him without biting itself, allowing him to get to the top without resistance. Once there, he pulled his fist back and punched the Hydra directly in the eye.

It let out a roar of pain and began swinging crazily from side to side, letting Blake go as it did. She flew across the cavern and smacked into the wall next to the crack Jaune had originally been running for. He jumped to a crouch while still on the swinging Hydra head and kicked off with all his might, flying over the other heads and landing a couple metres away.

He hit the ground sprinting and without even pausing scooped Blake up and dove for the crack in the wall. Just as he did he heard one of the heads smash into the wall where they had just been. The Hydra roared and screamed as it tried to find a way to pursue them. He completely ignored it, however as he held Blake up in the cramped confines of the cave.

She gave ragged gasps for breath and blood oozed from the numerous wounds caused by the Hydra's teeth. "Blake! Hey, Blake! Talk to me! What can I do? Please, you've gotta be okay!" He placed his palm on her cheek as he fired these words off to her in rushed panic.

Her scroll was beeping in her pocket and he quickly pulled it out to inspect her Aura levels. His heart fell when he saw them. It was blinking red. There wasn't possibly enough left to heal her so if she didn't get medical attention soon she would die.

Blake was going to die.

No, no! She couldn't die! He absolutely wouldn't let her die! There had to be something he could do! Blake gave a ragged cough and her eyes opened wide enough for him to look into him. He could see the pain clearly reflected in them but he also saw a little bit of mirth.

"It's not…" Blake gave another pained gasp combined with a small chortle. "...such a good feeling...being on that side...is it?" Was this really the pain she felt every time she thought he was going to die? How much pain must she have been in thinking he was actually dead? He didn't even want to fathom it. This hurt far too much as it was.

"I won't let you die, Blake. I promise I won't." He tried to sound determined but even he could hear the desperation in his voice. She was losing blood incredibly quickly and without an Aura it was over.

Aura…

...his Semblance!

That girl had said he linked people by using his Aura! If he linked with Blake could he heal her? Did his Aura have enough left to do something like that? He couldn't accurately gauge his reserves without his scroll but it felt pretty full. Before that, how did he even link to begin with? He had no idea. What was he doing? He didn't have the time to think about it! He just needed to do it!

Blake's eyes rolled backwards and she went limp in his arms as she lost consciousness. No, no, no! Please, if his Aura could really do what that girl said it could then he begged it to save Blake! He didn't care if it emptied his reserves! He just didn't want lose her! She was the last person in the world he wanted to lose! Just please save her!

His body began to glow gold as his Aura finally activated. It didn't just stop at him like it usually did though, instead the golden glow extended to Blake and soon her whole body was also awash in golden light. The blinking red light on her scroll began filling up and went from red to yellow, all the way up to green. Her scroll was set to the amount of Aura she had and apparently his was so much larger it carried the bar right off the screen.

He waited with baited breath for something to happen, yet to his annoyance Blake's wounds still weren't healing or if they were it wasn't nearly at a fast enough rate. She would still bleed out like this! He needed something more. Just as he thought this his head flashed in pain and he squinted his eyes.

What was that? Only a moment later and the pain returned but far greater this time. Jaune almost dropped Blake so he could grab his head. Instead he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to fight off the pain mentally. The moment his eyes closed he was assaulted by thousands of images simultaneously.

The images were of various things and clearly spread out over a long length of time. He saw mobs of Faunus picketing while they paraded for their rights. Angry store clerks as they screamed obscenities at him. A tall man with red hair wielding a katana. Faunus again but this time donning Grimm masks. The red-haired man again, on a train this time. He saw the cart to the train get cut and the man watch as they drifted away from one another.

Then he saw...himself? He was looking at him as he blocked the strike of a Deathstalker. He saw him sitting on a branch in the middle of the Forever Fall Forest. He watched his back as the blocked the blast of a Chimera. Then he saw himself sitting on the ground with dead Hydra heads surrounding him.

These were...Blake's memories? They were flooding into him in such rapid succession he had no possible way of analysing them all. For now it was just images but his head was screaming in pain from that alone as it tried to decipher all the information he was receiving at once.

None of that was important to him though. All he cared about right this second was healing Blake's wound. Making it so it had never happened. If only there was a way to just destroy the memory of the Hydra ever hurting her. Wait...was that an option? He had woken up miraculously fine with no recollection of what had happened. What if it wasn't that he couldn't remember but that the memory had been removed? Remove the cause and you got rid of the effect, was that even possible? It was Aura, anything was possible. At least he had to believe it was.

He found Blake's memory of the Hydra, despite the massive pain it caused his head to brush aside all the other memories, and just imagined it disappearing. To his great surprise and relief, it worked. The memory seemingly vanished from existence and he finally cracked his eyes back open.

Blake...was still drenched in blood and the holes in her clothes were still visible. However, the wounds were clearly gone. She had been completely healed! It had...it had really worked. Her chest gently rose and fell as her breathing returned to normal and was no longer ragged from the pain. As gently as he could he lowered her to the ground. The glowing water here wasn't any deeper than outside of their small crevice and even on her back she wasn't completely submerged.

The Hydra was still roaring wildly outside but he chose to ignore it for a while longer as he washed the blood off of Blake and dyed the water purple once again. Blake's clothes were littered in holes, a couple of them right around her chest, and when he washed away the blood he had to look away in embarrassment as her creamy, pale skin was revealed.

Just as he finished her eyes fluttered open and he was able to smile in relief. She was going to be okay...they were both going to be okay.

That is, if they could get past the Hydra.

* * *

Ruby didn't even bother to wait for the others to join her before she charged Shirou Schnee. She didn't care how she had to do it, she was going to make him pay for what he did to Jaune.

"Ruby, wait!" She ignored Weiss' screams of protest and activated her Semblance to speed immediately behind Shirou. His eyes were supposed to be capable of detecting the future, that just meant she had to enter his blind-spot and strike.

She whirled around and swung her scythe in a downward arc. Shirou didn't even turn around while he merely stepped to the side and dodged her swing. Ruby almost stumbled forward from his unexpected dodge, but her training kicked in and she spun the scythe backwards to maintain her balance and switched from swinging at him vertically to horizontally.

Shirou raised his sword and she saw his Dust dial land on the red canister. Their weapons clashed and an explosion resulted in Ruby's scythe being knocked backwards and Ruby slid a couple centimetres away from the force of the blast.

His sword switched to the green dial and he finally turned towards her as he jabbed directly for her stomach. She raised the scythe and blocked his katana with the handle but almost immediately her weapon's weight doubled and her knees buckled under the burden.

While his sword was still making contact with her scythe Shirou twisted his upper body unnaturally and spun his elbow around, catching Ruby in the side of the face. Her head jarred painfully to the side and her vision flashed white from the pain. Before she was capable of recovering, he stepped within her guard and kicked her in the back of the ankle with such force her whole world flipped upside down as the spiralled through the air.

She landed smack on her back and let out a horrid cry of pain from the impact. Her vision blurred out of focus for just a moment and when it came back in Shirou's sword was flying directly towards her neck, aiming to decapitate her.

Halfway towards its goal and a white glyph appeared directly above Ruby and the Katana slammed into it, unleashing another explosion upon impact that rebounded upwards as Weiss' glyph held strong.

Shirou's already wide grin grew bigger and became slightly more deranged as his attention turned from her to Weiss. "You've been improving considerably since we last spared, my little niece."

She didn't even respond as her sword blasted a bolt of lightning from it. Shirou's katana switched to his own yellow Dust dial with impossible quickness and his sword blocked the lightning and sent it flying in a completely different direction where it struck the wall of the canyon and caused a large section of it to splinter apart. Ruby took the opportunity to roll away and no sooner did she do so than Nora entered into the fray directly above Shirou. "Take this!" Nora whooped as she slammed Mjolnir down.

Shirou jumped backwards and easily dodged as Nora's hammer struck the ground and created a pink explosion that sent pieces of rock in every direction. She immediately ran around the explosion and gave chase after him. "Nora!" Ren yelled as he landed on the ground behind Shirou and raised Stormflower up which released a barrage of Dust bullets. The dial of Shirou's sword landed on the bright blue and he waved it behind him, creating a wall of ice that shielded him from Ren's attack before turning back to Nora.

"You okay?" Ruby's attention was torn away from the battle as Weiss jogged up to her with a concerned scowl on her face.

"I-I'm fine." Ruby mumbled in embarrassment as she attempted to get back to her feet. She only managed to get to her knees before Weiss grabbed her by the elbow and helped her the rest of the way up.

"We need to attack him together, you dolt." Weiss' tone was firm but not harsh and Ruby found she couldn't bring herself to look at her partner out of shame. She had charged in head first, determined to make Shirou pay, and she had been bested and nearly killed in as few as three moves. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Ah!" Ruby gave a startled cry when Weiss pinched her forearm. "I'm listening, I swear I'm listening!" She nodded vigorously and finally turned to her partner.

"Good." Weiss nodded as she placed her hands on her hips and shifted her gaze back to her uncle. Ruby followed her to see Nora destroy Shirou's wall of ice. He was retreating while Nora kept charging him with close ranged combat and Ren supplied her with cover fire. The two of them were incredible! They were actually forcing him backwards without giving him any room to counterattack.

"We're going to support Ren with ranged fire. Valkyrie's hammer is our best possible shot at destroying his scroll simply because she doesn't need to land a direct hit. This whole thing depends on us being able to back my uncle into a corner so she can finish this." Weiss raised Myrtenaster up and switched the dial to her light-blue Dust.

"Ice Flower then?" Despite the fact that Ruby had her doubts about this plan she decided not to argue and instead go along with it. She had blundered once already by charging in head first. She just really hoped Nora was capable of handling Shirou with nothing but covering fire for support.

"That's a good suggestion." Weiss apparently didn't share any of her doubts as she created an ice glyph directly in front of them. Ruby hesitated another second. Should she really not say anything? Weiss knew her uncle better than she did but Ruby had never been tossed around that effortlessly before in her life, not while she had her scythe in hand anyways. She just didn't feel comfortable letting Nora fight in close combat by herself. "What're you waiting for?"

Weiss's words spurred her into action despite herself and she mounted the blade of Crescent Rose into the ground and readied the bolt-action rifle. She aimed the barrel at Shirou while being careful to keep it within Weiss' glyph. It was difficult to get a clear shot as he continued to dance around all over the place while dodging Nora's hammer and Ren's gunfire.

Finally he paused for just a second and she fired several shots, each one echoing with a loud bang across the canyon. The shots passed through Weiss' glyph and turned bright blue as they were filled with the energy from the ice Dust.

Shirou glanced sideways and Ruby could almost swear she saw him smirk as the bullets flew at him. He skipped backwards and dodged her first couple shots and they struck the ground, creating spikes of ice each time and limiting the amount of area he could flee down. Her eyes narrowed and she continued to fire as she and Ren continued to push him into a corner with their combined gunfire. Finally he was pushed to the edge of the pillar and his sword created a wall of ice, effectively trapping him but at the same time protecting him from their barrage.

"Valkyrie, now! Knock him off the ledge if you have to!" Weiss shouted with mixed relief and hope in her voice. Ruby could sympathise with those feelings a little. If they finished him here it would be all over. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding either.

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" Nora sprinted for the wall of ice and raised her hammer above her head before bringing it down on her target. Another pink explosion rocked the pillar and sent shards of ice flying as the smoke billowed and completely obscured Nora from view.

Weiss let out a sigh of relief and Ruby could actually see her visibly relax as silence settled over the area. If Ruby didn't know any better...she would say Weiss had been afraid, terrified even. Was that why she hadn't even once engaged Shirou in actual physical combat? Even when she had saved her she had done it with a glyph.

"My, my, my. That was quite the idea you came up with little niece. It's too bad that you made it painfully obvious what you were attempting." Weiss' shoulders went rigid at the mirthful sound of Shirou's voice. Ruby's eyes flung to the source and widened in shock as Shirou calmly strolled out from the smoke. He held Nora by the throat and had her hoisted above his head, her feet dangling a half-metre off the ground. She was weakly grabbing at his arm as a small gurgling noise managed to escape her mouth. Her hammer lay on the floor just behind him.

"Nora!" Ren and Ruby called simultaneously and raised their weapons to fire.

"Uh, uh, uh." Shirou shook his head at them. "You wouldn't want me to use poor Miss Nora as a meat-shield, now would you?" Ruby scowled as she lowered Crescent Rose. He was right of course, she couldn't risk harming Nora. She just knew she should've voiced her concerns about this plan earlier. Nora wouldn't be in this predicament now if she had just gone and helped her.

"W-what're you going to do with her?" Weiss took an uneasy half-step forward and this time Ruby could see the actual fear in her eyes mixed with the uncertainty. She really had no idea what it was that Shirou might do to their teammate.

"Hmm...decisions, decisions." Shirou tapped his sword on the ground as he slowly contemplated how to answer. Ruby felt disgust well in her stomach and could almost feel the urge to vomit at the gleeful way he spoke as he got seconds closer to suffocating her. "I could always just stab her in the heart. Make her death nice and quick. I was going to do that to Mr Arc earlier but unfortunately the other students voted that idea down."

"Just let her go!" Weiss' voiced cracked as it turned pleading and she took a small step forward, her hand extended. Ruby could do nothing but look back and forth between the two of them. How was Ren taking this? She looked to see him standing completely still, his emotions almost appeared completely in check. Didn't he care that about his partner? Weren't they childhood friends?

"I suppose I could give her a scar to match your own." Shirou's head tilted towards Weiss and her hand unconsciously began to rub the spot just below her eye as her mouth hung agape in mute horror. "Your father was quite upset after I did that. Never let me train you again. I wonder what he would think now?" She began to quiver and her eyes misted over as she appeared to lose herself in the memory.

"Shut up!" Ruby screamed before he could say anything more. Weiss looked like another couple words out of him would break her. This couldn't go on. "Why are you doing this to us? This isn't how Huntsmen are supposed to act! Don't you feel anything?"

Shirou let out a chuckle that caused Ruby's very skin to crawl. "You glorify the idea of Huntsmen and Huntresses far too much. You think their life is all about honour and chivalry? It's anything but that and I've got news for you; you signed up for this life. I'm doing you all a favour by showing you just how brutal this job really is." This guy...was he being serious? He called what he was doing right now a favour to them?

Nora's hands slipped from Shirou's arm and fell to her sides as she lost the strength to struggle. "Well, I guess time's up. It's a shame, I really liked this girl too." The dial on his katana switched to the red canister and he finally released Nora's neck.

Before she even hit the ground he flipped his sword and swung it, catching her with the blunt end of it. Immediately upon impact, a cone-shaped explosion enveloped Nora and she was sent rocketing off the pillar and towards where Sun and the wounded were, her body leaving a trail of smoke as she travelled.

"Nora!" Ruby flinched as someone roared her name so loudly it overshadowed the noise of the explosion. She didn't even recognise the voice until she saw Ren close the gap between himself and Shirou at speeds even she wasn't capable without her Semblance. His magenta eyes were alight with pure anger and hatred that Ruby didn't even think the stoic boy was capable of. She felt bad for even questioning if he cared for his partner before now. Even if he didn't always show it she was clearly very important to him.

He swung both parts of Stormflower forward and they collided with Shirou's sword, creating an explosion that formed away from both of them. The katana was battered aside from the strength of Ren's blow and before he even fully recovered Ren pivot on one foot and brought his other leg high in a spinning kick.

Shirou blocked the strike with his forearm but he clearly grimaced as he stumbled backwards. Ren had...he had overpowered him in a physical exchange! "Weiss...we have to help him! We can still gain the upper hand!" She felt bad for Nora but she saw Sun and Neptune already leaning over her. Hopefully her Aura had kept her alive.

She took a couple running steps towards the two fighting men but paused when she didn't her Weiss join her. She turned back around to see Weiss still standing completely still, her eyes staring straight ahead but clearly not seeing anything that was happening in front of her.

"Weiss!" Ruby ran back to her and grabbed her hand, startling her back into reality. She glanced down at the younger girl and then she glanced past her to where Ren and Shirou were still battling. "Help us fight him." Ruby pleaded to her partner. "I know you're scared but-"

"W-who says I'm scared of him?" Weiss recoiled indignantly and the denial shown in her eyes.

"Then prove it Weiss, help me. Help Ren. Or did you forget what he did to Jaune?" She felt bad for pushing her partner like this but she needed her right now. Without her, they didn't stand a chance against Shirou.

"I didn't forget...it's just that…" Weiss' eyes darted back and forth as she tried to think up an excuse. Ruby was hardly a patient person and her partner's indecision was starting to annoy even her. She had never imagined a situation like this where it would be her getting frustrated with Weiss. It was always the other way around.

"I'm going." She declared, cutting off Weiss' excuse. "If you aren't going to help then you should just retreat off this pillar. Ren and I will handle this until Blake comes back." Without waiting to see how she would respond, Ruby turned around and activated her Semblance.

She appeared next to Ren and right in front of Shirou already swinging Crescent Rose downwards. Shirou jumped backwards to dodge her swing instead of counter it like he had before. His eyes widened further when neither pursued him and instead Ren raised Stormflower and unleashed a barrage of bullets.

He created another wall of ice to shield himself and Ruby utilised her Semblance once again to sprint around the wall to the left. She stopped hard and spun Crescent Rose from a low angle with time. Shirou's katana swung sideways and blocked it and she felt electricity surge through her body and saw he was once again using the yellow Dust canister. How was he able to switch between those so quickly? Her body locked up as her muscles convulsed and went numb from the electric shock.

Ren ran around the other side of the wall just behind Shirou and raised Stormflower to shoot him at point-blank range. Shirou's katana switched to the dark blue canister and he had already spun around while swinging his sword overhead before Ren had even appeared.

His magenta eyes widened in shock and Ruby saw his Aura activate as it began to shield him. The katana met his Aura shield and it seemed to just phase through it the Aura like it wasn't even there. He could do nothing as the katana cut into his left shoulder and gouged a deep wound all the way down to his hip.

"Ren!" Ruby screamed in horror as she watched him cough blood before slipping to his knees. That shouldn't have been possible. Ren's Aura did nothing to protect him. The only thing that made sense was that the dark blue canister was filled with Anti-Aura Dust. It was supposed to be incredibly valuable and hard to acquire though...but then again, if anyone could get their hands on it, it would be a Schnee.

If she wasn't still stunned from the shock his sword had given her earlier she would've used her Semblance to dash away. Instead she could do nothing as Shirou turned back towards her, a smug expression on his face. He had seen through every move they were going to make. No matter what they had tried he was always one step ahead. It was stupid that they thought they ever had a chance.

Shirou stepped back towards her and raised his katana to point it directly at her throat. She...she was going to die. If his sword was really flowing with Anti-Aura energy right now he would cut through her without resistance. Her eyes locked onto Ren's as he slowly began to fall backwards. She could see all the anger and frustration now combined with regret at not being able to avenge his partner.

She...she wasn't going to let it end like this. Shirou stabbed forward and her convulsing muscles screamed in protest as she managed to swing Crescent Rose high enough to block the strike. She stumbled backwards from the blow but managed to keep her footing.

"You certainly are a tenacious one." He remarked snidely as he looked down on her with his crystal-blue eyes. She despised the look in them. They were filled with hatred, hatred at the entire world around him. She finally understood exactly what kind of a person he was. Life had clearly done something cruel to him and in turn he was determined to make life cruel for others. She hated that kind of thinking. It was because life was cruel that people needed to be there for each other! This was why she wanted to become a Huntress. She would never accept him as a Huntsmen. He was not the ideal she was striving for.

"I'm not going to lose to someone like you. Huntsmen and Huntresses have a duty to protect people." She declared this as strongly as she could. Feeling was returning to her body again as the numbness faded. She just needed a couple more seconds and she would be fighting capable again.

Shirou let out a snort. "Keep spouting lines like that and you'll end up exactly like Mr Arc in short order. I must admit though, it was almost hysterical watching him fall off that cliff with a hole in his stomach."

Ruby felt anger surge through her body at his words and she grit her teeth as she glared at him and raised Crescent Rose. She readied her Semblance to charge him and just a second before she was able to kick off the ground, Weiss called out to her. "Ruby you dolt! Don't take his bait!"

A glyph appeared directly above Shirou's head and Weiss jumped over the ice wall and landed on it upside-down. She pointed Myrtenaster directly towards the top of his head and lunged. He skipped backwards and she slammed into the ground while burying her rapier halfway into the hard rock surface.

"Weiss!" Ruby couldn't believe it, she had actually jumped into the fray herself. The Heiress turned to her and she gave an apologetic but determined smile.

"Get Ren out of here. I'll hold my uncle off long enough for you to come back." She charged at him not even a moment later. Ruby almost ran after her. She knew how hard it was to fight him on your own, but she also knew Ren needed immediate assistance. He had collapsed to the ground and was now unconscious, blood flowing freely from his wound. She would make it quick. She wouldn't leave her partner alone for long.

She folded Crescent Rose and hooked it to her hip before grabbing Nora's weapon and the dashing over to Ren. The moment she had him her Semblance activated and she appeared directly in front of Sun and Neptune.

"Ruby!" Sun jumped back slightly in surprise before he noticed Ren. "Ah, shit! That looks bad. Neptune, can you patch him up?" He spun on his partner and Ruby stumbled off of Ren to give the blue-haired boy access to him.

"I'll do what I can." Neptune dropped to his feet and slung a backpack off his shoulder. Ruby turned away from them to glance for Nora. She was still lying unmoving on the ground and for a moment she feared the worst.

"She's okay." Sun must have noticed her gaze and right after he spoke she saw her chest rising and falling. "Her Aura is shot but she's going to live." He paused for a second and Ruby saw him look back towards Shirou's pillar. "Is Ice Queen fighting by herself?"

Ruby scowled as she took one last look at all of the numerous injured that had been caused by this whole mess. "Not for long." She unfurled Crescent Rose again and turned around to help her partner.

"Wait, let me go with you!" Sun hopped to his feet to join her but she shook her head. She really did appreciate the offer and as much as she wanted more people by their side while fighting him, he already had an important job to do.

"We need you over here in case anymore Grimm come down this far. The injured can't protect themselves." She glanced to him to see his tail shrink back dejectedly and she did her best to give him a reassuring smile. "Besides, Blake will be back soon and we'll defeat him together. I know we will."

She just really hoped Blake had Jaune with her when she did come back. They needed all the help they could get.

* * *

Blake groaned as her eyes fluttered open.

What had just happened?

She had...saved Jaune, right?

He was alive. She knew that much for sure. Mostly because it was his relieved face that she opened her eyes too.

The problem was she couldn't remember for the life of her what it had been she saved him from. She also had no recollection of how she had been injured to begin with. Had something snuck up on her? Either that or she had been hit in the head which seemed equally likely given the horrid migraine she currently had.

' _Blake, I need you to relax and hear me out.'_ That was kind of weird. Jaune had clearly just spoken to her but she hadn't seen his mouth move at all. Were her senses out of sync? Just how badly had she been hit? She glanced at her scroll to see her Aura was above one hundred percent...what the Hell? How was that even possible? The darn thing must have been busted.

' _It's not broken. It's displaying both our Aura's right now. Well, at least I think it is. It's more like we only have one shared Aura right now. Or something. I don't actually know.'_

"Jaune, what are you talking about?" His rambling was making her head hurt more and has she slowly lifted herself up she suddenly became much more aware of the state of her clothes. "What happened to me?" She lurched forward and her head screamed in agony at the sudden movement. Her hands reached around and grasped her forehead as she hissed in pain.

' _Just calm down...take it slow. I kind of understand what you're feeling right now. I just went through it not long ago myself.'_ How was she supposed to be calm at a time like this? She was inside some cramped cave alone with a guy while her clothes were covered in holes. Add to that she couldn't remember how she got here and it was causing her immense pain just trying to figure it out and staying calm seemed pretty resolutely out the window.

The cave shook violently and a loud roar drew her attention to the entrance of their little hide-away. She could see flashes of scales and the occasional red eye as whatever it was that was out there tried to get to them. _'Hydra.'_ Jaune answered simply and she grimaced in annoyance. How could she have let something like that catch her off guard? She was better than that.

' _It wasn't your fault. It turns out the legends about them are true. Cut off one head and two more will take its place.'_ Finally the fact that something was out of place clicked inside Blake's heads. Jaune hadn't once opened his mouth the whole time they were in here yet she kept hearing his voice as if he was coming from every direction at once. She blamed the migraine on not noticing something so obvious earlier.

"Jaune...you're-"

' _-talking with you telepathically. Pretty cool, huh?'_ He gave her a bright smile and her eyes widened in shock as she stared at him in disbelief.

"Your Semblance?" Despite their morbid situation she couldn't help but let a little bit of excitement reach into her voice. If Jaune had really discovered his Semblance then of course she would be excited. She had been trying to figure out what it could be since she unlocked his Aura. He nodded as he continued to grin at her, apparently sharing in her excitement.

Now that she thought about it...he had mentioned something about them sharing an Aura. She looked back at her scroll to see it still showing well more the one hundred percent of her original reserves. If their Auras had merged together it actually made sense that the scroll would display such a ridiculous percentage. Her Aura was relatively small compared to that of an average person whereas Jaune's was exceptionally large.

"Did you figure this out yourself?" She asked curiously and his face contorted in a complex expression.

' _I'll explain more after we actually get out of here.'_ Her cat-ears flattened slightly as he said that. She was really curious now. Still, he was right. They needed to get out of here and go help the others. First they had to help themselves and kill that Hydra. Was there even a good strategy for that? As she debated what to do she reached for Gambol Shroud but began to panic when she couldn't find it. She glanced around on the ground for it but it was nowhere to be seen.

' _Ah...I may have left both our weapons out there trying to get us in here.'_ Jaune rubbed his cheek sheepishly as Blake turned to glare at him.

' _Are you kidding me?'_ He flinched as she mentally screamed this and she smirked slightly, glad to know his connection worked both ways. _'How did we even get in here?'_ She felt that something like a Hydra attack would leave a rather powerful memory.

' _Ah, I'll explain that later too.'_ It was harder to tell what emotions he was feeling when he talked mentally but it almost sounded like he was ashamed. Again, it was something to worry about after all this.

She needed to come up with a strategy to get them out of this. What could she do though? Jaune said that cutting off one of the Hydra heads caused two more to sprout out. How did you defeat something like that? She supposed if she could find its heart that would do it. She didn't have the strength to do something like that normally...wait a second!

She was sharing an Aura with Jaune right now. Who said she was limited to doing things like normal anymore? With his vast amount of Aura at her disposal who knew what she would be capable of? She gave a feral grin. She couldn't wait to find out.

' _Blake, just outta curiosity, does your Semblance react differently when you use Dust?'_ Her eyebrows quirked as she turned to Jaune curiously. He was rubbing his chin as he stared at the water at their feet. She followed his gaze and finally realised what he was hinting at. The water was glowing...the only way it would be naturally doing that was if Dust was involved. If she could use it with her Semblance combined with the extra power from Jaune's Aura they might really have a chance. The only problem was they had no idea what kind of Dust was mixed in the water. If the effect was especially volatile they might get caught up in it.

' _Just leave this to me.'_ Blake began to stretch her limbs as she readied herself for combat. ' _I'll run out and dodge it with my clones. Once its distracted you follow and we'll make a break for our weapons.'_

He nodded slowly to her suggestion but she could see the concern on his face and could actually feel some of it as if he was transmitting his emotions to her too. _'I don't have much choice but to rely on you. Just please be careful out there.'_

' _You're the last person in all of Remnant I want to hear that from.'_ She glared at him and he looked at her in shock for only a moment before they both chuckled out loud. She didn't know what it was but whenever she was with Jaune she just really felt like they could do anything. That feeling was even more amplified now that they were sharing one Aura.

' _I'm going.'_ She bent over and placed both hands on the ground as she took a sprinting stance. She felt the massive Aura reserves wash over her and channelled all that power into her legs. Directly ahead of her the Hydra was still thrashing madly as it tried to get to them. She was about to give it its wish.

She kicked off the ground and sprung so far forward from just that one little movement she surprised both the Hydra and herself as she landed right in the middle of its numerous heads. Oh crap! She hadn't been expecting his Aura to propel her that far forward. She had just meant for it to be a little boost.

The Hydra recovered quickly enough and let out a deafening roar as all the heads descended upon her. She activated her Semblance and left a clone behind as she dove to the side. Like before she went farther than she had originally anticipated and landed a whole several metres away from the Hydra as it attacked her clone. She glanced at it and was shocked to see her clone survive the initial strike of the Hydra and it didn't dissipate until they finally tore it to shreds.

Her clones...they were more durable now. Was this another effect of being linked? Her Semblance had been slightly altered and was now a little stronger than before. This was incredible! The Hydra roared again as it realised she was still very much alive and began to charge after her again.

Fine with her. Her eyes focused just past it and she found Gambol Shroud and Crocea Mors in the water just behind the Hydra. She once more filled her legs with Aura and jumped forward. She closed the distance to the Hydra in a single leap and all ten heads lunged at her. The moment she landed she side-stepped and appeared to the right of the Hydra and then took only another couple leaps forward and landed next to her weapon.

If the Hydra had been frustrated before it was absolutely enraged now as it roared so loudly the entire cave they were in shook from the force of it. She paid it little mind as she decided now was as good a time as any to test out whatever the Dust in the water was. _'Blake! It's coming for you.'_ She turned her head slightly to see Jaune standing just outside the entrance to their former hiding place. Not a single head of the Hydra had even noticed him as it charged for her in a fury.

She ignored it for the moment as she focused on the water at her feet and closed her eyes. She could feel the Dust particles and allowed them to flow into their Aura...altering its properties further. She channelled the Aura as she prepared to create a clone while doing this. The Hydra roared once more as it closed the distance between them. Ten heads flew at her from ten different angles. It should've been a horrifying moment of her life but she knew she would be okay. She had no doubt.

She dodged backwards and left a glowing blue clone behind. Her eyes widened at the sheer brightness the clone was exuding...she may have overdone it with the Dust and Aura usage. If it bothered the Hydra at all it didn't show it as its numerous fangs tore into the clone. The moment they did, the clone convulsed and expanded like a balloon about to pop...which pretty much summed up what happened next perfectly.

The clone began glowing so brightly Blake averted her eyes and no sooner did she do that and a loud bang echoed across the cavern and she was knocked backwards by the force of a blast. She landed roughly on her butt as her ears were filled with an insistent ringing noise. What the Hell had happened?

She glanced back to the Hydra...or where the Hydra had just been. Instead, there was nothing but bloody hunks of meat scattered all across the cavern and a new crater that was quickly filling with water. She had...she had turned it into chunks! Just what kind of Dust was in this water?

She stared in amazement at the spot for another few seconds before more movement caught her eye. She turned to see Jaune stumble out once more from their hide-away, the same look of astonishment on his face that was on her own. Slowly, he turned back towards her and their wide-eyes locked onto one another.

Slowly, the shock gave way to giddiness and Jaune gave a small chortle. The moment the noise reached her ears, Blake began to giggle. He broke out into full-out laughter and she joined him not even a couple seconds later.

Shirou Schnee had better watch out.

They were coming to kick his ass next.

* * *

 **AN:** I've given up on the idea of actually being able to write a short chapter. Maybe when there isn't so much going on I'll be able to pull it off.

Initial opinions on Jaune's Semblance? There's a little bit more to it yet and I'll touch upon it more as he learns to use it in coming chapters. I wanted to give him something though that benefited everyone and not just himself because that's the type of person I feel like Jaune is. He also tapped further into his Captain Atlas persona as he did battle with his dreaded nemesis, the Hydra!

Next time, the climatic conclusion to the Razor Canyon Arc!

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 15 - Endgame_

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

* * *

Weiss did her best to calm her erratic breathing as she faced her uncle one on one. Myrtenaster trembled in her grip and she fumbled with the dial on the hilt.

"You're looking kind of sickly there. Maybe I should take your temperature? Would hate to have you come down with a cold." Her eyes narrowed in anger at her uncle as he chatted mirthfully.

Unlike her, he stood completely relaxed and his sword hung limply at his side. She knew better than to think he was full of openings. It was when he took that stance that he was at his most dangerous. His eyes could already see everything she could possibly do before she would even do it.

If she had any chance of defeating him she was going to have to overwhelm him with the sheer versatility of her rapier. The only problem with that was his sword was equally versatile. Add to that he had years of physical combat experience on her combined with his unfair Semblance. To make matters worse, her left eye throbbed painfully every time she so much as glanced at his katana and that pain was a distraction she really didn't need right now.

"If you aren't going to entertain my witty banter with anything more than a glare then I'm assuming you mean to actually fight me. In which case, I would be more than happy to make the first move. It's not like this is a practice spar from the old days, this is a real life and death battle." He took a step towards her and Weiss' eyes widened in horror and she had to keep her mouth clamped shut lest she would undoubtedly let out an undignified shriek.

She waved Myrtenaster and created a red Glyph directly in front of Shirou's path and a pillar of fire extended from it. She flinched internally at the blunder. She had used the wrong Dust canister and had unintentionally pumped too much Aura into it, wasting her valuable resources.

To further her chagrin, her pillar of fire was almost immediately encased in ice that was then shattered by Shirou's katana. Not only had it been a waste it had been completely worthless in so much as hindering him.

"You're not even going to be fun to fight if you don't put up a better struggle than that." Her uncle sighed and she could almost feel his disappointment wash over her. It wasn't even disappointment at her, but at the simple fact that she wasn't going to amuse him like this. "Hopefully your partner comes back quickly. I was really looking forward to breaking her."

Her body reacted before her brain had fully even processed what he said and she lunged at him as the flame Dust enveloped her blade. Shirou's smirk returned as he blocked her thrust with his katana. His ice Dust cancelled out her fire and they merely clanged loudly off one another.

Weiss glowered daggers at him as she stepped to the side and thrust at him from his right side. His katana swung from below and knocked her sword upwards but she immediately activated a Glyph above her hand that forced her sword to thrust towards his eye.

He tilted his head to the side and her strike sailed over his shoulder. He was now completely within her guard and his sword swung at her midsection but another Glyph appeared and blocked his slash. They both then jumped backwards before stepping forward, her in another thrust aimed at his heart and his aiming to knock her rapier aside. She anticipated such an action and just before his sword met hers she created another Glyph directly between them. His sword struck the glyph and she smirked victoriously as her rapier continued on uninterrupted.

At least it should have but ice sprout from the edge of Shirou's blade and wrapped around the Glyph and latched onto her sword, successfully halting it in its tracks. She growled in frustration and pumped more flame Dust into her sword and immediately drew her sword back after it melted enough of the ice.

She created a Glyph that launched her backwards and she landed a couple metres away. Her uncle didn't bother to press his advantage like she had expected and instead he remained where he was with a stupid grin on his face. It infuriated her to see it. "What?" She snapped at him.

Shirou chuckled as he waved his hand dismissively. "Oh nothing. I just don't think I've ever seen you react so angrily before. Has my little niece finally found someone she cares about?"

"Shut up!" Her grip on her sword tightened so much she could feel the blood flow to her fingers cease to circulate.

"I wonder if that love extends to your other teammates? Does it just eat you up inside to know that because of me your precious leader died?" If he appeared amused before he looked like he was having a blast now which only continued to make Weiss angrier. Red crept in from the edge of her vision and an angry buzzing began to fill her ears.

Shirou chuckled and talked over the incessant noise in her head. "If you end up surviving this I could probably arrange it so you got made the leader. I bet you would just love that. You probably thought of him as pretty useless anyways, knowing you."

"You're wrong…" Weiss mumbled under her breath.

"I'm sorry." Shirou extended his head forward and cupped his hand over his ear. "I didn't catch that."

"You're wrong!" She bellowed and created a red Glyph in front of her that immediately launched half a dozen fireballs from it. Once again, Shirou created a wall of ice in front of him that intercepted the flaming orbs before melting to a puddle at his feet. "What do you know about how I feel? I haven't seen you in years!"

He didn't know anything at all. Jaune Arc...he was anything but useless. He was someone she respected. Her eyes widened slightly in shock when she realised she actually meant that thought. That blundering, blonde idiot had earned her respect. Why was it she didn't realise that until after he had already fallen to his death? Why was it her uncle of all people that made her realise it to begin with?

"Hang on Weiss!" Ruby broke her from her thoughts as the younger girl bounded across the gap and landed next to her on the pillar. "Sorry I'm late, I was checking on-" Ruby's words died in her mouth as she stared at Weiss' face so intently she wondered if there was something amiss. Had her uncle landed a cut without her noticing? "Weiss...why're you crying?"

Huh? She didn't understand. What was Ruby talking about? Her hand darted up to her face and she felt something wet just below her eyes. She pulled her hand back but didn't see any red. Was she really...crying? And for Jaune of all people?

Ruby's confusion turned to wrath as she spun on Shirou. "What did you say to her?"

"I'm hurt that you assume it was me." Shirou placed a hand on his heart in mock-pain.

"Who else would it have been?" Ruby unhooked Crescent Rose and unleashed several dust rounds. As each one reached him he cut them in half with a simple swing of his katana.

"Ruby, enough." Weiss rubbed her eyes dry and placed a hand on her shoulder. She just remembered the most important thing about all this. Her uncle was a master at weaving words to make people angry. It was how he fought. It was what amused him the most. If they were going to have a chance against him they needed to remain calm.

Who was she kidding? She couldn't even look at him without trembling in either fear or anger. And Ruby? She let her emotions dictate everything she did. Calm was pretty decisively out the window. That really only left one option. They needed to be faster than he was. If she combined her Glyphs with Ruby's Semblance they might just have a chance.

She held a hand to her mouth so her uncle wouldn't see what she was saying." Ruby, I'm going to charge in first. Once I give you the signal, I need you to charge at him with all you got. We're putting this all on your one hit." Weiss bit her lip before she continued, unsure if she really wanted to say the next line. Ruby was nodding along to the plan so far. She sighed in resignation. "No matter what happens. Don't charge until I give the signal."

Ruby gave her a nervous glance. "W-what do you think is going to happen?"

Silently she turned away from her partner. She would honestly rather not think about it. "Hopefully, nothing." She raised Myrtenaster to eye-level and sprinted forward. She moved with such speed she appeared to just glide across the surface of the ground and closed the distance between her and her uncle in only a second.

"You're really going to try this again?" Shirou stepped to the side as she thrust forward and she sailed past him before stopping hard. His katana swung at her exposed back and she ducked forward and his sword swung over her head. While still doubled over, she twirled Myrtenaster around so it was pointed backwards and stabbed behind her.

Her strike flew towards his pelvis and he was forced to twist out of the way to avoid it in time. She spun on her heels and tilted her rapier towards him once more and thrust at his chin. His katana swung downwards and intercepted the strike, knocking both of their swords aside.

Just after this exchange she felt the Aura that she had been previously melding reach its potential. She was ready to put her plan into action. Her dial switched to the white canister and she tilted her sword so it was pointed straight up. A dome of small Glyphs surrounded Shirou and herself and his eyes widened slightly in shock. This caused her to smirk in pride. Her uncle had never seen this move. She was finally going to show him what she was truly made of.

A Glyph formed beneath her feet and launched her upwards. She flipped in the air and landed in a crouch on one of the Glyphs above her before springing forward and directly towards her uncle. He bent sideways and barely managed to dodge her as she passed by but she was just beginning. She flipped and landed on another Glyph in the dome before flying back towards the centre.

Shirou raised his katana and she grazed the blade before she sailed by once again. She landed on yet another Glyph and grinned when she spun around to see he had lost sight of her. With each successive kick-off she was gaining momentum and slowly he was beginning to lose track of her. She kicked off and he turned around just in time to block her as she continued past him.

When she landed on the next Glyph she finally realised something was wrong. While it was true she was gaining velocity her sword was starting to feel like a lead block in her hand. Her eyes widened as they locked on Shirou's Dust canister and saw it was set to green. He was using density Dust to weigh her down!

It was too late to stop now though. She grit her teeth in irritation as her Glyph ejected her back towards him. He smirked widely and she knew he had her right where he wanted her all along. Their swords clashed and the weight to hers doubled and she began to sink towards the ground. Before she was able to fly past him he grabbed her by the back of the neck.

She was helpless to do anything as he forced her head downwards and smashed her face-first into the hard rock at their feet. Her vision flashed white and red as she struggled to maintain consciousness and still hold onto Myrtenaster. Her legs flailed behind her as she tried to return to a standing position and her right hand tried to push her off the ground but Shirou continued to push down on her neck, keeping her from doing either. "I do kind of regret doing this. It seems that we just can't have a match without me damaging your pretty face."

"L-liar!" Weiss growled as she glared at his feet out of the corner of her eyes. Most of her vision was obscured by the earth but it didn't actually matter anymore. "You're enjoying this." He thought he had won. She was about to show him not to underestimate her. He didn't know that just outside the dome of Glyphs she had placed a trail of more Glyphs leading right to them starting at Ruby. If she combined her Semblance with the boost from them she would undoubtedly be too fast for even him to block. Even better, he was using one arm to pin her while he kneeled on the ground.

"Ruby, now!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. She couldn't see her partner but she heard her Semblance as it activated. Not even tenths of a second later she heard her scythe arcing through the air, aiming to dismember her uncle. She didn't feel the least bit guilty about the fact that they were about to permanently harm him and put an end to his career. Maybe he would think twice before being a jackass next time.

Her thoughts of victory were cruelly shattered as Ruby let out a cry of anguish before collapsing to a heap in front of Weiss' vision. The younger girls' momentum continued to carry her forward and she tumbled and rolled another couple metres away from the two of them and finally skid to a stop just short of the edge of the pillar. Crescent Rose clattered and landed just next to her body as she immediately began struggling to her feet. Her silver eyes locked with Weiss' and she could see the feeling of shame she felt at having not been able to fulfill her role.

Weiss wanted to call out to her and tell her not to feel ashamed. Ruby had performed her part splendidly but her uncle was simply just too far skilled for either of them. Weiss couldn't call out to her though a combination of immense pain she was feeling and the simple fact that she was practically eating the dirt beneath her right now.

"I think you underestimate Prediction Line just a little too much." Shirou lifted her face off the earth and tilted her head back so she could look into his eyes. As always, the pure hatred she saw in them frightened her to the core. "You really think I wouldn't see Miss Ruby well before she even appeared? I mean, did you honestly believe I placed you exactly in this spot by coincidence? You didn't think it might have been because it was the perfect place for me to strike her with my hilt before she could so much as swing at me? I barely had to even move. Her own momentum caused most of the damage. Just look at her."

He tilted her head towards Ruby and she saw her collapse back to the ground before giving a small heave and throwing up the contents of her stomach. Damn it all. She felt self-disgust well up in her stomach as she looked at the sorry state her plan had put her partner in. She had been far too stupid to think any plan she thought of had a chance of besting him.

"Well, at least you made this entertaining." Shirou sighed dejectedly and before Weiss could prepare herself he slammed her face back into the ground. She groaned into the earth as he finally released her neck and got back to his feet. She didn't have the strength to even try to move. Her Aura had protected her from some of the damage but that did little to mitigate the dazed feeling she got from being slammed twice into the ground.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. Your father would never forgive me if I did that. I'm doing this all as a favour to him to begin with so it would be troublesome to end up on his bad side." Wait...what? Her father knew about everything that was happening? Did he also know about this game he was currently playing with them? She...she refused to believe that.

"Still, I'm afraid I'm going to have to put you out at least until morning." Shirou continued as he switched to the red Dust. "Can't have you trying to interfere any further." She tried to glare back up at him but she couldn't raise her gaze above his knees. "I will have fun breaking your partner though." Weiss froze at his words. "The young optimistic ones are always the most fun to watch as they slowly give into despair. It's too bad you won't be awake to watch it happen."

"...Uncle!" Now he was going too far! If he thought she was going to just stay down while he tormented her partner and friend than he had another thing coming. She would never allow him to do it. Despite barely being able to move her hand reached forward and grasped the cuff of his white pants.

"Oh? Still got some fight left in you after all?" Shirou asked mockingly and she grit her teeth in anger. Never in her life had she wanted to murder him so badly as she did right now. Even after all the things he had done to her in life she had usually understood his reasonings. Right now though...she couldn't understand him at all and she didn't want to understand.

She struggled to her knees but just as she finally got to one her uncle's other foot swung out and struck her in the gut. She gave a ragged cough and collapsed back to the ground. Yet her grip on his pant-leg remained firm. She couldn't stay down. She wouldn't stay down. Ruby needed her right now. If she went down Shirou would destroy her. Weiss would rather die to prevent that. While still clinging to her uncle her other hand fumbled for the red canister on Myrtenaster. Her uncle may have been tough but even he wouldn't survive if she detonated the remaining flame dust she had left. True she would get swallowed in the explosion as well but if it was to protect Ruby...she would gladly make that call.

"...Impossible!" Weiss had heard many emotions coming from her uncle in life. Surprise wasn't ever one of them. It was such a foreign expression that she actually stopped what she was doing to try and figure out what could have caused it. What had just happened that would shock him of all people?

The answer to her question was a pair of sneakers that landed directly in front of her face. Their appearance nearly caused her to shriek and she yanked her hand off her uncle's leg. She heard the sound of an explosion as whoever it was struck Shirou's sword and the contact ignited his flame Dust. Before she could question it further she felt someone pick her up and the ground flew away as she was carried off from the immediate battle and right next to her partner.

"Weiss, Ruby. Are you two okay?" She recognised that voice...it was Blake! She turned to her black-haired teammate as she gently sat her on the ground next to her partner.

"You...you're back!" She looked like she had fought an army of Grimm. Her clothes were littered in holes and stained with blood. Was she really okay? If she was just going by her expression alone then she would say she looked fine, confident even. What the heck had happened to her while she was gone?

Blake smiled at her and Ruby. "You two just focus on recovering until you're ready. Leave him to us for now." Us? Who was this us?

Ruby stumbled to her knees and Weiss turned to see her staring with wide-eyed disbelief ahead of them. She followed her gaze to see who it had been to save her from her uncle and was now engaging him in combat.

They landed on scraggly blonde hair and her expression immediately mirrored her partner's. Now she understood what it was that had surprised her uncle. There was just no way...it was impossible. Yet there he was.

He was covered in blood and had a big gaping hole in the back of his orange shirt but undoubtedly he was very much alive and well as he and her uncle crossed swords with one another, his shield gleaming as he deflected explosions to the side.

Her vision misted with tears.

Jaune Arc was alive.

* * *

Yang grunted in annoyance as she grabbed a Beowulf by the head and snapped its neck. She had run out of Dust shells just a few minutes ago and was really starting to feel the strain from not having them. It wasn't just her that was starting to feel the strain either and that was the more apparent problem.

All around her the other students were beginning to get sluggish as they continued to do battle against the never ending onslaught of Grimm that continued to descend into the canyon. Just how many hundreds of these damn things did they have to kill before they gave up already? Was that whistle really so annoying that they would risk annihilation to stop it?

An Ursa landed on the vine directly in front of her and she gave it a feral grin as it roared viciously before charging. No rest for the weary she supposed as she sprinted to meet it head on. It might not have been the best strategy given her current circumstances but she didn't know any other way to fight.

It swung one of its mighty paws at her and she met it halfway with a punch of her own. Her fist smashed into its paw and forced its whole arm to bend backwards at an unnatural angle. Fortunately her Semblance was nearly in full effect right now so she didn't need her Dust shells. It was also draining her Aura really quickly though. She couldn't fight like this for long.

The Ursa roared in pain and stumbled away from her before Milo flew over her head in javelin form and speared the Grimm in the throat. It toppled backwards dead. "I totally had that one!" She groaned as Pyrrha ran past the side of her and pulled Milo from the corpse.

Her partner gave her a soft glare before letting out a small sigh. "You're fighting too reckless Yang. I can't risk something happening…" Her breath hitched. "...happening to you too."

Yang grimaced at her words. Pyrrha was clearly quite affected by what happened to Jaune down there. She didn't really get it herself. She thought he was an okay guy, but she really didn't know him all that well. Pyrrha didn't either. Ruby being torn up about his death at least made sense. He had been her first friend coming into Beacon and he was the leader of her team. Of course she would be distraught. As far as Yang knew, Pyrrha and Jaune had never really so much as talked though.

Maybe she just fancied him for his looks? No, that didn't quite make sense either. Pyrrha wasn't exactly like that and even if she was Jaune would be an odd choice. It's not like he was bad looking but there were certainly more apt specimen around. "Whoa!" She ducked as a Cackler swung its claws at her. She had barely got sight of it out of the corner of her eye. She spun hard and backhanded it so hard in the jaw she knocked it clean off.

What the Hell was she doing? If she had died there because she had been thinking about Jaune of all people she would've never been able to face her ancestors. It was time to get her head back into the game.

"Pyrrha!" Sun's excited voice crackled through Pyrrha's scroll and Yang turned to it questioningly. Her partner looked equally confused as she pulled it out and clicked the mic on.

"Sun? Are you okay? No one is in trouble are they?" She asked in hurried concern. Yang kind of doubted any Grimm had made it down that far. There were simply too many students up here for the Grimm to bother descending any lower. Had Shirou done something?

"He...he's back! Holy shit, I can't believe it!" Sun sounded like he was practically jumping around while he was talking. Yang arched her eyebrow as she met Pyrrha's eyes. They were filled with shock and trace amounts of hope.

"Back? What're you talking about?" Pyrrha's voice quickened and Yang could hear her breath become short and hurried.

"Jaune Arc! He's freaking alive and he's fighting Shirou again!" No way. Yang couldn't believe it. Pyrrha didn't look like she could either as she collapsed to her knees and her scroll clattered onto the vine at their feet.

"Pyrrha!" Yang rushed to her side and knelt down next to her. Fortunately there were no Grimm immediately on them as the rest of the students fended them off. "Hey, are you okay?"

"He...he's alive." Pyrrha choked out and she saw tears began to gather in the corner of her eyes. Wow, this girl had it more for him than she originally thought. She leaned forward to rub her back gently but paused as she heard...or rather felt the force of something flapping its wings.

She and everyone else tilted their heads to the sky to see something so massive it temporarily blocked out the moon and cast them into darkness. "That...can't be good." Yang mumbled as she slowly got back to her feet.

Whatever it was it was now descending down towards them and its shape was beginning to become much more clear. It was clearly some sort of draconic Grimm with wings that spanned wider than the gap of the canyon. A long barbed tail swung behind it and it opened its serpent-like mouth to let out a roar so powerful it shook the very earth as it dive-bombed them.

"Wyvern." Pyrrha whispered darkly as she also got back to her feet. Hopefully Jaune was the last thing on her mind as she thought about how to deal with their latest threat.

"What's the strategy partner?" Yang shared a nervous glance with some of the other students as panic began to settle in. This Grimm rivalled the Chimera in size and if she had to guess, probably in power too. Ordinarily she figured they would be able to take it just fine with this many of them but this was hardly an ordinary circumstance. They were all about spent on Dust ammunition which meant they couldn't hit it with ranged fire and there were still dozens of the smaller Grimm still flooding down on them at a time. Once this thing landed all Hell was about to break loose. She normally preferred some excitement in life but this was starting to become a little ridiculous.

"I'm thinking." Pyrrha's grip on Milo and Akuo tightened as she stared up at the Wyvern that was getting closer every second and Yang could practically hear the gears in her head as they whirled while trying to think of a plan. Once again the Wyvern opened its mouth and Yang saw an orange light flicker in the back of its throat.

"Whatever strategy you think you've got I know I have a better one." Yang grabbed her partner by the elbow and began to yank her towards the edge of the vine.

"W-what?" Pyrrha gasped in shock as she stumbled to keep up with her.

"Isn't it obvious?" Yang asked before sucking in as much air as she could so she could yell at the top of her lungs. "Everyone get the Hell down!" She jumped off the edge of their vine and pulled Pyrrha with her as they began to fall into the darkness of the canyon beneath them.

It didn't take the others more than a second to scurry after her once the Wyvern released a powerful breath of fire that almost immediately seared the entire top row of thorny vines.

"We've got no choice but to head to the bottom." Yang yelled as she landed in a crouch on another vine. Wild orange flames above them lit up the whole canyon and she could practically see all the way towards the ground level thanks to them. With a loud crash, the Wyvern smashed into the burning vines and sent some of them tumbling down towards them.

"What about the injured?" Despite Pyrrha's protest she began running down the vine they were standing on.

"There won't be any injured if that thing gets to us!" There would just be a whole lot of dead. Half of them her ass, if Shirou's game didn't end soon they were all going to die.

"Come on, Captain Atlas…" She mumbled under her breath. He had made the impossible happen once by coming back from the dead. Was it too much to ask for him to do it again?

* * *

' _Jaune, deflect it left!'_ Blake's voice echoed inside his head and he raised his shield at an angle so when Shirou's sword clanged off of it the explosion coned to the side and away from him. Having a coach in your head was actually kinda handy. He stabbed at the headmaster and he skipped backwards a couple steps and finally placed some distance between the two of them.

Jaune grinned somewhat victoriously. For once it hadn't been him that had given ground. He had actually managed to stand and fight quite adamantly for a full minute in there. It was also wonderful to see the usual smirk on Shirou's face gone and instead be replaced with what he could only describe as frustrated surprise. He really couldn't fault him for feeling that way of course. He probably would've thought he died too after what happened. Actually, he _had_ thought he died at one point.

Blake landed nimbly next to him and he nodded at her slightly. _'How're Ruby and Weiss?'_ He turned back to regard them both and saw them leaning forward and staring at him in disbelief.

' _You should probably go see them. They're pretty beat up but I don't think that'll stop Ruby from sprinting over her in a second if you don't say something to her. I'll make sure Shirou stays off your reunion.'_

' _Right. Thanks, Blake.'_ He took a couple steps away from Shirou and Blake inched forward so she was in between them. Once he was sure he wouldn't get stabbed from behind by the older man he turned to jog backwards only to nearly be bowled over as something hurtled into his gut like a rocket.

"Jaune!" Ruby cried as she wrapped her arms around his stomach and they spun around from the force of her tackle. He nearly tumbled backwards but just barely managed to keep his footing. Blake hadn't been joking.

"What's up Rubes?" He jostled her hair affectionately while attempting to ignore the fact that she was squeezing him so tightly he could barely breathe.

"You're alive...you're actually alive." She clung to him even more tightly if that was possible and he couldn't help but smirk at her choice of words.

"Is that all anyone can say when they see me? You girls need to have a little more confidence in me." As he continued to rub her head gently he heard her give a quiet sob and his shirt began to grow damp from her tears.

"I thought you were going to leave me." Between her mumbling into his shirt and her sobs he could barely understand her. "I didn't want to lose you. Not like that. It was too much like how I lost-" Her voice cut off as her crying intensified.

"Hey, hey. I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to stay." He attempted to pull back from her so he could look her in the eyes to show her how serious he was but the moment he tried she snuggled into him even more fiercely. So much for that. He turned to Blake for help but she was keeping a close eye on Shirou.

"Do you promise?" Ruby mumbled as her crying calmed back down.

"Huh?" It took him a second to process what it was she was asking. Oh right, he had said he wasn't going anywhere. "Yeah, I promise."

The clicking of heels against the ground caught his attention and turned to see Weiss walking towards them, albeit with a slight wobble. Still, it was impressive she was able to walk at all after what he had just seen her own uncle put her through.

She stopped just a couple paces away from him and Ruby and fixed him with one of the coldest glares he had ever seen her give. "You're late." She stated simply and he had to fight the urge to burst into laughter.

Instead he restrained it to an amused smile. "I missed you too Snow Angel."

"Moron." She grumbled but he could tell there was no hostility in her voice even though he used her hated nickname. It might not have seemed like much but even he could tell she was happy to see him. They were all reunited once again. Now it was time to show Shirou just what AWBR was made of.

"Hey Ruby. If you let go I got something really cool to show you but you have to play along, okay?" He asked gently as he leaned forward to whisper into her ear. He explained something quick and he saw her pull her head back to look at him slightly in confusion, tears still staining her face. "You got that?" He asked and she nodded. "Good."

He stepped away from her and sheathed Crocea Mors before turning back to Shirou who had yet to make a move. Instead he was watching them all cautiously and quietly. It seemed oddly out of character for him but maybe people coming back from the dead even put him on edge.

' _Are you really going to make her do something so embarrassing?'_ He saw Blake fight the urge to facepalm as she sent that thought to him.

' _It's not embarrassing! It's going to be awesome!'_ He defended as he glared at the back of her head.

' _We don't even know if it will work while you're linked to me. It'll look really lame if nothing happens.'_ She reminded him but he chose to ignore her and her logic. It was going to work. He knew it would.

"Alright Ruby. Let's do this." He nodded to her and she stepped up next to him. Shirou arched an eyebrow at them both. They both took a wide stance and Jaune dramatically extended his open palm out sideways. Ruby mimicked his action and their hands clapped together loudly as they held them there while he prepared the finishing touch. He inhaled and then yelled in the coolest voice he could muster "Arc-"

"-Link!" Ruby finished in an equally dramatic voice.

Silence.

No one said anything for several whole seconds as they all stood there and waited for something to happen.

Nothing did.

"What the Hell...am I watching right now?" Weiss muttered in absolute disgust.

Blake actually did bring her palm to her face in a loud smack and refused to even look at him.

Shirou blinked once.

Then again.

Finally he began to chuckle. It started out slow at first but in only a matter of moments it turned into full-blown laughter. He started laughing so hard he buried his sword into the ground and leaned onto it as he held his side in a vain attempt to calm himself.

"J-just give me a second...I'm still new to this." Jaune and Ruby's faces both flushed deep red in embarrassment as he tried to figure out how to activate his Semblance once again. When he had used it to save Blake he had been desperate.

"Y-you are by far the most entertaining person I have met in a long time Mr Arc." Shirou gasped for breath as he tried to regain his composure. "You come back from the dead looking like you got mauled by an Ursa to perform one of the most dramatic rescues I have ever seen...and then you do this-whatever this is! I haven't laughed this hard in years."

He kinda wished he had stayed dead this was so embarrassing...come on stupid Semblance! Work! He screamed at it internally and a second later he felt his Aura radiate outwards. Now that was more like it! He smirked as his golden Aura surfaced and everyone's eyes widened in shock. His Aura completely enveloped him and then proceeded to wrap itself around Ruby, starting from where their hands met.

' _The Aura meter...it's increasing!'_ Ruby gave a small start as she undoubtedly heard Blake's voice echo inside her own mind. _'Ruby's Aura is being added to ours! The Link...it worked!'_

' _And you all doubted me!'_ Jaune placed his free hand on his hip triumphantly before he felt a small flash of pain jolt through of his head. Oh shit...he forgot about this part. "G-Gahh!" He dropped to his knees and grabbed his head as images began assaulting his brain.

"Jaune!" Three voices shouted simultaneously as he let out a loud scream in pain. He thought it had hurt when he linked with Blake...that was nothing compared to the pain he was feeling now. Did it get worse the more people he linked with at a time? It was too late to stop it now. The only thing he could do was ride it out.

He saw flashes of a young Yang as she was growing up. Occasionally images of the back of a woman in a white cloak. Those images in particular felt incredibly sad and more personal to Ruby than most. A tall man with a scythe appeared often as he began to train Ruby. The criminal Roman Torchwick and some goons. Miss Goodwitch as she saved Ruby from some mystery woman. Initiation at Beacon. It was always so weird seeing himself from someone else's eyes. These images and thousands more hit him simultaneously and once again he had no possible way to process all of them at the same time. They were just tiny snippets that all got jumbled together in one big mess.

The problem was...as his brain was being barraged by these he felt it begin to lose others. He tried to recall certain things about himself only to find static. Was his Semblance...was it erasing parts of him to make room for others?

Finally the pain gave way to a dull ache and his vision swam back into focus as the memories quit coming. He realised in disgust that he was doubled over on his knees and elbows while grasping his head. A string of drool trailed from his mouth and formed a sizable puddle on the floor.

' _Jaune! Jaune!'_ Blake and Ruby's voices echoed inside his head and he even heard Weiss calling him aloud. He could feel their hands on his back and attempted to shrug them off as he stumbled back to an upright position.

"I'm fine...I'm fine." He mumbled as he finally managed to pick himself back up.

' _What happened? Was it your Semblance?'_ Blake checked him over for any physical injuries and he felt Ruby cling protectively to his arm. Weiss wasn't physically touching him but she stood so close he could feel her breath against the back of his neck. Apparently the memory backlash only affected him. Was that because it was his Semblance? He had no idea.

' _It's complicated. I'll explain later. The three of us are still linked though?'_ He looked between Blake and Ruby and they both nodded apprehensively. _'Good. Then let's end this fight quickly. Ruby, hang back with Weiss for a minute while our Aura heals you.'_

' _But-'_ Ruby began to protest but he sent her a sharp glare.

' _Just trust me on this for now. Blake and I will be fine. If things get complicated you can dash right in. Just make sure Weiss stays back too. I would add her to the link but...I don't think I can handle it right now.'_ Ruby gave another small nod as she averted her eyes to the ground.

' _Listen to you, sounding like a leader.'_ Blake teased lightly and Jaune couldn't help but smirk at her. He could see the questions still in her eyes but she was choosing to ignore them for now. He really did appreciate that about her.

' _You guys demanded I stay the leader. Not having second thoughts now, are you?'_ He joked back at her and she gave a small chuckle.

' _Not at all. I actually think you're kind of attractive like this.'_ His face heated at that comment and like Ruby he averted his eyes.

"I kind of feel like I'm missing something right now." Weiss pouted as she folded her arms.

"I'll explain." Ruby grabbed her by the elbow and began leading her to the ledge. "For now let's just let them fight. Captain's orders."

"When did he give any orders?" Weiss asked in confusion as she was dragged along.

As they walked away Jaune and Blake turned their attention back to Shirou. Once more he was staring at them contemplatively but his usual, knowing smirk had returned. "I think I've got an idea of what your Semblance is now. Discovered it on your trip to the afterlife did you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Jaune unsheathed Crocea Mors and expanded his shield. Blake readied Gambol Shroud next to him.

"I admit I am a little curious." Shirou pulled his sword out from the ground and took a leisurely stance as he waited for them to make the first move.

' _What's the plan, Jaune?'_ Blake interrupted his thoughts and he grimaced as he tried to think of the best strategy. Ruby's most recently memories floated to the surface of his mindscape and he finally realised just how terrifyingly much the man in front of him outclassed them. His skills alone put him leagues above them and combined with his unfair Semblance he really didn't see how they had a chance of creating an opening. Still, they had to try.

' _You focus on aiming for his Scroll. Your clones should give you a chance to get behind him but his Prediction Line is going to see it coming. I'll try to keep his katana off you. My shield is pretty much good at deflecting anything he can throw at me...I hope.'_

' _I suppose it's as sound a plan as any. Don't get too mad though if I just chop his whole hand off along with the Scroll.'_ He saw Blake eye the Scroll on his wrist maliciously and shivered slightly in fear.

' _Just aim for his head!'_ Ruby mentally yelled a little too cheerfully. What was with his teammates and trying to bisect people?

' _I'll go first.'_ Jaune decided to just ignore Ruby's words altogether as he began to charge forward. He just needed to focus on the katana. He couldn't allow anything to distract him from that. Despite just thinking that he couldn't help but glance nervously into Shirou's eyes just before he reached him.

From the moment he had first opened them they had terrified him to the core. They had been filled with such malicious hate and compounded with his perpetually cocky grin it created this ominous combination that he couldn't help but be afraid of. One other thing he had also noticed though, between both his own memories and now Ruby's, they were almost always not looking at you, but rather at where you were going to be. It was like he was staring at an image of you in the future and was just waiting for it.

That actually made a lot of sense when you considered his Semblance. The reason he was thinking all this right now was because Shirou's eyes were anything but stationary. Instead, they were darting between at least three different locations with a mixture of mild shock and panic creeping into them. His finger hovered on the dial of his sword as he hesitated on which canister to switch it to.

Jaune was so stumped by this drastic change in demeanour that he almost stopped short and didn't swing at him at all. It felt underhanded to attack an opponent that wasn't ready. A flash of what he did to Ruby, Weiss, Penny, Nora, and Ren coursed through his vision and thoughts of pulling his swing vanished and he attacked at Shirou's katana with all his might.

Shirou took half a step back and barely raised his katana in time for Jaune's sword to smash into it. His grip tightened and they locked in place as sparks flew from the clash. Jaune's muscles groaned as he felt the weight of his sword began to increase and realised Shirou had settled on the green Dust. He pulled his sword back and to his surprise Shirou didn't press the advantage and instead he jumped back as well.

Blake ran past Jaune's vision and right up to Shirou and he saw him grimace in annoyance as both blades of Gambol Shroud swung for his scroll. The dial on his katana landed on the dark blue Dust and he swung at her, aiming to cut her wide open before either of her blades had a chance to destroy their target. _'Blake, dodge!'_ Jaune mentally yelled at her. Ruby had witnessed the Anti-Aura Dust in action and for all the good their combined Aura network was doing them it wouldn't mean anything against something like that.

Blake's eyes widened from the sheer panic Jaune transmitted through the link and immediately left a clone behind so she could dodge backwards. His sword mercilessly split the clone in half and as Blake landed next to Jaune they both realised that if he had shouted that a second later that would've been her. _'Thanks, good call.'_

' _Don't mention it.'_ Jaune shook his head as he and Shirou locked eyes once again. He could see the frustration in them now and it was finally starting to click inside his head what was happening. Still, he wanted to be sure. _'Blake, we're going to attack him together this time. Same plan as before that. Aim for his scroll. I'll try to keep his katana off you. And Ruby?'_

' _Y-yeah?'_ Her surprised was easily recognisable through the link.

' _Keep thinking about trying to chop his head off.'_

' _...Okay?'_ Even Blake gave him a slightly confused look but he shrugged it off. He had a plan and they were going to follow him regardless of how little sense it may have made at the moment. It felt good to know they trusted him enough for that.

He took off running towards Shirou again and Blake immediately followed after him. Shirou's eyes narrowed as they continued to dart around and only helped confirm Jaune's theory. He had no idea how they were going to attack him. Somehow something was interfering with his Prediction Line.

' _Blake! Leave a clone in front of me and jump right. I'll dodge around it left.'_ He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye to see her nod just before quickening her pace. She skipped in front of him and just as they reached Shirou she left her clone and seemingly vanished. Shirou's sword swung down and sliced the clone in half again, his Anti-Aura Dust canister still active. If he was using that then he really was aiming for the kill now.

Jaune grimaced as he thrust his sword forward while keeping his shield up in a defensive position. Shirou's sword switched from a downwards swing to upwards almost instantaneously and he deflected Jaune's sword to the side. Before he flicked his wrist and with a twirl the sword swung at him horizontally. Jaune tilted his shield and the sword glanced off of it, creating a shower of sparks as they collided.

He continued his strike around and pivot his foot just as Blake charged him from behind. His katana struck her cleaver and her own katana continued forward towards his scroll. He bent to the side and slipped quickly around her so her strike met nothing but air and their swords disengaged as she stumbled forward. His katana then swung down towards her neck but Jaune immediately jumped forward with his shield raised high. With a loud clang they collided but instead of pulling back like normal Shirou placed his other hand on the back of his sword and pushed down with all his might. Jaune grimaced as his muscles gave way to Shirou's superior strength and collapsed to one knee as he tried his hardest to keep the shield above his head. He didn't exactly fancy the idea of getting split in half.

' _Jaune!'_ Blake hissed in anger as she ran around the side of him and once again swung for the scroll. Shirou skid the katana sideways and sent a shower of sparks flying in Blake's direction, forcing her to squint her eyes and stop short with her attack. His katana continued forward and battered both her blades aside before aiming for her throat once again.

"No you don't!" Jaune jumped forward and rammed his still raised shield into Shirou's unprotected gut and with a 'oomph' he stumbled backwards and away from the two of them. Jaune collapsed to his knees, still gasping for breath and Blake took a protective stance in front of him.

This wasn't working the way he had hoped. Even though Shirou's Prediction Line wasn't supposedly working properly his skills alone still more than made up for that handicap. He just had far too many years of experience on them for anything to truly work. Their teamwork may have been near perfect thanks to Arc Link but the two of them had their limits and he was clearly well above them.

' _We're going to need another plan.'_ Blake grumbled in irritation through the link. Apparently they were having similar thoughts in that regard. What could they do though? Maybe Jaune should call him out on that his Semblance wasn't responding? Try and trip him up? He had been doing it to them with amazing effect, no reason he couldn't do the same.

"Those were fairly straightforward attacks coming from you." Jaune called aloud and he saw Shirou's smirk fluctuate momentarily.

' _Jaune, what are you doing?'_ Blake bumped his elbow and he saw her glancing at him nervously.

' _Giving him a taste of his own medicine. Trust me, I got this.'_ He gave her the most reassuring smile he could before turning back to the headmaster.

"Am I really that intimidating now? Did my 'revival' shock you that much...or is it something else?" Shirou let out a drawn out sigh and raised one of his hands and placed them over his eyes. Then he began to chuckle. Jaune pulled back slightly in shock and the confident smile he was displaying immediately slipped from his face. That was not part of the plan.

"What would you say the odds of this happening are Mr Arc?" He asked when his laughter finally calmed back down. Huh? Odds of what? Crap, maybe he shouldn't have tried to play mind-games with a master of it. He just had to open his damn mouth. "Never in my life has someone found a way around my Semblance. And now you come back from the dead with a newly awakened power that just happens to contradict mine so well it actually makes it useless. Just by linking to two other people your brainwaves are interfering enough with one another's thought processes for me to see not just two but three images of what each of you might do."

So it _was_ his Semblance interfering with Shirou's. That was actually pretty damn lucky. Thanks to that they actually kind of stood a chance against him. Why then...did he seem so giddy right now? He expected more frustration from him like just a second ago. Instead, Shirou's grin was bigger than he had ever seen it.

"More and more I like you Mr Arc." Shirou's hand slowly slid down his face and his eyes were once again exposed but now even they were filled with baited anticipation. "Do you have any idea how boring it is to have a Semblance where I can literally see everything that is going to happen before you even realise it yourself?" That actually sounded really handy to him. He didn't think he would mind that at all. "I'm forced to try and goad my opponents into extreme action just to get even the slightest feeling of adrenaline myself." That actually explained why he was so sadistically cruel while fighting now.

As Shirou talked the roots above them began shaking violently. Now what? Jaune had to fight the urge to sigh as they all tilted their heads upwards. Just above the white roots that acted as a ceiling he saw a bright flash of orange. Something was going on up there that was for sure.

' _Jaune, behind us!'_ He and Blake spun around just in time to see the other students pouring into the bottom floor of the canyon a dozen at a time. Had they...been forced to retreat down here? He saw Yang and Pyrrha mixed in amongst them and even from here the pure panic was apparent to him. Had they been overrun up there?

He got the answers to his questions a moment later as stalks of the thorny vines collapsed to the canyon floor and ripped the root ceiling apart. The vines were ablaze in bright orange flame and the entirety of the canyon was cast aglow from the rapidly spreading fire. Before he could even wonder what caused all this destruction a giant reptilian-head stuck its head down to the surface and soon the rest of its massive body followed. It completely obscured the other students from sight as it stood between them and reached its full height and let out a massive roar. It tried to spread its wings but even as wide as the canyon was it couldn't possibly extend them all the way.

Screams of terror echoed just over its roar and he really hoped that they were all fleeing from that monstrosity before them. "Oh ho!" Shirou made an amused snort as he gazed at the giant Grimm. "I didn't expect a Wyvern of all Grimm to take the bait. Things are suddenly looking quite a bit worse for everyone over there."

Jaune's grip on his weapon and shield tightened as he whirled back on the headmaster in anger. "Shirou! This can't go on anymore! They're all going to die!" This guy really couldn't be so much of a bastard to just leave them all to get slaughtered by that thing.

"Hmm...normally I think I would, but-" But?! What possible reason was there for him to not want to go save them right this damn second? "-I've finally come up against someone that is going to be interesting to fight. Besides, this is bound to give you some added incentive."

Jaune's teeth ground together so hard he felt like they might crack from the pressure. This stupid game really did have to end now. _'Ruby! Get up here! The three of us are going to pincer him together! Tell Weiss to back us up with her Glyphs!'_

' _Right!'_ Ruby acknowledged behind him and he heard her begin to relay his instructions.

"I think it's time we actually made this interesting. Let's see how long you can fight without any ground to stand on." Shirou switched the dial to his white Dust canister and he heard Weiss make a startled gasp from behind them. This...couldn't be good.

Shirou's whole katana began to glow bright white and he raised it high above his head before swinging at the ground right in front of his feet. Jaune wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting to happen but it certainly wasn't the pillar being ripped apart as blades of white light split from the point of impact. AWBR was so stupefied by what was happening that they didn't react until it was too late and the parts of earth they were standing on began to splinter apart and collapse beneath their very feet.

' _Jaune! We need to do something quick!'_ Really? Thanks Blake for pointing that out, really helpful right now. He turned back towards Weiss as they all slowly began to fall along with the remaining pieces of the pillar that they had been atop of. He really wasn't looking forward to this but he didn't see much other option.

"Weiss!" He yelled out as he angled his fall towards her. He sheathed his sword and clipped it to his hip. "Take my hand!" His golden Aura began to envelope him just as they entered freefall completely.

' _Jaune!'_

' _Don't!'_

Ruby and Blake yelled respectively but he paid them no mind as he fell closer and closer to the heiress with his hand outstretched. Weiss extended her limbs to slow her descent and stretched her own hand out to meet his and the two of them fumbled for just a moment as they attempted to level out before gripping one another tightly. His Aura immediately began to envelope her as well and he could feel their Auras pool together like it had the past couple times. He only had a couple seconds before the memories followed. _'Weiss! Make the biggest Glyph you can now!'_ She looked shock for only a second before pointing Myrtenaster directly downwards. A huge white Glyph that was easily the size of the surface of the pillar they had been fighting on appeared beneath them and they crashed roughly into it.

Blake and Ruby landed nimbly on their feet before they began to sprint over to him. It was already too late though. Weiss' memories began pooling in and Jaune couldn't even scramble to his feet before the force of them sent him into a seizing mess on the ground, his arms and legs flailing beyond his control as an ear-screeching yell escaped his mouth. He became unaware of all of this as the memories took over.

He saw a plethora of things just like the time and the time before that. Rarely they made sense to him as they were just disjointed images and the occasional voices. Something that looked like etiquette training. A tall man that she assumed was her father. The White Fang as they attacked some mansion...maybe her home? A younger Shirou Schnee as he mercilessly cut the White Fang down like they were nothing. Then Shirou training Weiss to protect herself. A flash of red in his left eye while still staring at Shirou. Then he saw Beacon. While at Beacon she ran into Ruby. Then she came across some blonde guy that had jumped up to save her from the Nevermore...who was that guy again? He felt really familiar but he couldn't place him. He wasn't able to focus on the memory long enough for it to matter and they only lasted a few moments longer before he was finally released from the Hell that he was being subjected to.

He rolled onto his back and stared straight upwards as he gasped for breath and attempted to ignore the horrid ache that was still in his head. Three faces were directly above his own and appeared to be screaming at him but he couldn't hear their voices. He couldn't hear anything at all. There was too much static. What was wrong with him? He tried to get to his feet but found himself incapable of movement.

He looked back at the girls' faces and slowly began to place them. They were Blake, Ruby, and Weiss. Of course they were. He knew them better than he knew himself right now...which wasn't saying much seeing as he didn't know himself at all. He began to shift through their memories now that he wasn't being completely assaulted by them and slowly it all become to come back to him. That blonde boy that had looked familiar...that was him!

He was the leader of their team, AWBR. The A must have stood for his name...Arc. Yeah, that sounded right. It wasn't complete though. He was missing a part of it. What was his first name? He went back to their memories but every time they said his name he only heard static in its place. Why couldn't he hear his name? Was this his brain telling him he had to figure it out on his own?

How was he supposed to do that without any clues? Maybe he was just thinking about it wrong? He was trying to look through their memories but what about his own? He tried looking into his own past but received nothing but more static and flashes of white. He wouldn't accept that...he couldn't accept that. He had a job to do right now! If he was going to do that job he needed his name! He needed his identity!

One of the memories broke through and he was suddenly standing in his living room. His father sat on the couch laughing at whatever was playing on the television. His mother sat next to him reading a book quietly. His sisters did various things; four of them playing a boardgame while sprawled out on the floor. Two of them were cuddled up under a single blanket and napping on a reclining chair in the corner. Meanwhile the last one stood by his side and smiled at the ordinary scene in front of them.

"This is nice, isn't it?" She asked him gently and he felt a ghost of a smile appear on his face.

"Yeah, it is." He didn't know why but there was something incredibly melancholic about this scene despite how inherently happy it appeared.

"Are you really going to sneak out tonight?" Ah, he remembered now. This was the night he had left for Beacon. The sister next to him was the only one that knew the truth.

"I am. I have to do this." He nodded in affirmation. He didn't know what was ahead of him but he was sure he could face whatever it was.

He felt her arm link through his and give it a small squeeze. "I'm going to miss you...Jaune."

Jaune.

That was his name!

He felt strength return to his body and he leapt into a sitting position back in the present and startled all three of his teammates. _'Jaune!'_ They all shouted through the link. Good, they were still connected. He did not want to have to relink just because he couldn't handle a few memories.

' _That's my name ladies, don't wear it out.'_ He gave them all a cheeky grin and simultaneously three hands chopped him on the top of the head.

 _We were so worried about you!'_

' _Don't ever do that to us again you dunce!'_

' _You just can't avoid taking on all the burden on your own, can you?'_

He chuckled aloud at the three of them as he slowly stumbled back to his feet before getting serious again. _'You can all yell at me as much as you want later. We got a game to end.'_ He turned his attention above them to see Shirou had created a small ledge of ice that clung to the wall. He stood nimbly on it and stared right back down at them.

' _The sooner would definitely be better; not just for those being attacking by the Wyvern either. Weiss' giant Glyph is eating through our Aura and if we run out it's game over for us as well.'_ Blake gave him a glare as she thought this that told him this conversation was anything but over. Of course he knew he wasn't getting out of it that easy.

' _How much time do we have if you all have to use your Semblance?'_ He pulled his damaged scroll out in annoyance. Damn thing was useless...wait a second.

' _Only enough for one coordinated attack if we use Weiss' Glyphs to get us up there.'_ Blake didn't look like she cared for their odds.

' _His Semblance should be even more confused now that Weiss is linked to us. We've got this, right?'_ Ruby at least appeared a little more optimistic.

' _None of that matters so long as he knows it's his scroll we're aiming for. He'll know the other attacks are all feints.'_ Weiss was naturally quick to shoot her down.

' _Maybe...or maybe we take a page from his book and think one turn ahead.'_ All three of them turned to him questioningly just as he tossed his busted scroll to Blake. She caught it and they all stared at it for a moment before they understood what he was getting at.

' _This just might work...'_ Weiss grinned coyly while Blake and Ruby nodded at one another.

' _I'll go in first.'_ Blake attached Gambol Shroud back into one blade and wrapped her ribbon around her wrist.

' _Leave the second part to me.'_ Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose.

' _Just give me the necessary boost, Weiss. I'll finish this.'_ He didn't know why but he felt really confident about this plan. Being linked to his closest friends really was a comforting feeling. They were literally one in mind and he knew that this was exactly how AWBR was supposed to be.

' _Right, then let's go.'_ Weiss waved Myrtenaster in front of her and a series of Glyphs appeared above them at varying angles that they could use to propel themselves right at her uncle.

Blake, Ruby, and Weiss all immediately jumped to one of them but Jaune hesitated for just a split second. He was never really good with heights and Weiss' Glyphs were about to propel him airborne with nothing but darkness beneath him if he missed or messed up. Then again, what was he worried about? He had already survived that drop once. Still better not test his luck and fall again. With a resigned sigh he jumped towards the nearest Glyph and he felt his feet lock into it as the gear designs on it began to spin.

He turned his gaze upwards just as the Glyph ejected him off it and sent him flying towards one several whole metres up. He barely managed to land on that one before it also locked him into place. A moment later and he was sent airborne again and flew over the top of Shirou and landed on a Glyph that was completely vertical. Fortunately this one locked him in place as well or he would've slid right off it. His stomach lurched as he stared directly down into the darkness that was beneath him.

Weiss landed on one next to him and she began pumping power into the Glyph he was on. _'You're only going to have one shot at this so make it count. This Glyph is going to propel you forward at speeds close to Ruby's Semblance so get ready.'_ He gulped as he nodded.

Just to his left the Wyvern let out another deafening roar as it sprayed fire from its open mouth. Hopefully no one had been caught by that blast. How many injured were there now? Had someone died yet? He felt sick just thinking someone had met their end to that thing. No matter what they definitely had to end this now. He turned back to Shirou just as Blake launched towards him. This was it. Once she made her move their plan would be set in motion and if they made a single blunder or he noticed what they were up to it was all over.

Shirou's eye darted in several directions as he tried to determine where she was truly aiming for. He only had a small ledge of ice that he could move on so his options were pretty much limited to blocking their attacks and then countering...know him that was how he preferred it. He intended this to be the final move just as much as they did.

Blake attacked him from directly above and swung the now connected Gambol Shroud right towards the middle of his head. Shirou swung his katana up to meet her, the blade still glowing bright white. _Blake, dodge that attack!'_ Weiss yelled in panic just as their swords connected.

 _I know already!'_ A white energy slash phased through Gambol Shroud and flew right at her. She left behind a clone without even a full second to spare as she flipped backwards. Just as she began to tumble beneath him she chucked Jaune's broken scroll upwards and towards Shirou. He appeared not to notice the action as her ribbon also wrapped around his right wrist and yanked him forward, exposing his own scroll. _'Ruby!'_

' _On it!'_ Ruby vanished from her Glyph with nothing but floating rose petals to suggest she had ever been there and appeared right in front of Shirou's vision. His katana was held just above his scroll protectively but Ruby didn't even aim for it. Instead Crescent Rose swung upwards and chopped Jaune's scroll in half and sent both pieces flying in front of Shirou's vision.

As the broken pieces flew past him time seemed to crawl to a halt. His eyes widened in disbelief and his ever present smirk dropped. His sight danced between his right wrist where his scroll was and then back to the halved device. Crescent Rose continued to spin and caught his katana, deflecting it to the side. Blake gave another yank of her ribbon and his right arm was pulled further away from the swords protection.

He was completely exposed and the truth of what happened hadn't settled in.

' _Jaune!'_

' _Now's your chance!'_

' _Finish this!'_

Jaune gave a bestial bellow as his legs tensed against the Glyph. The gears inscribed on it were spinning so intensely he could hear them humming. He kicked off and the whole world became a blur as he moved at faster than what should have been physically possible. He couldn't possibly change his trajectory now that he had launched. If he missed they would lose. And if they lost they were dead.

Then he just wouldn't miss.

His arm holding the sword was completely outstretched in front of him and just as his vision began to come back into focus he felt it graze against something. Sparks flew beneath his vision and his eyes locked with Shirou's. They were alight with anger...probably from having realised what just happened and his sword flew at Jaune's neck.

Oh shit! He couldn't dodge like this! He was about to get his head chopped off and there was nothing he could do about it. Just as he fully processed that thought he felt something grab the cuff around the back of his shirt. Shirou's sword swung down but hit nothing but air as he vanished and reappeared on the canyon floor. He and whoever had saved him rolled for a couple metres before skidding to a stop and he let out a loud groan. His head ached from the whiplash that movement had given him alone.

' _Sorry...'_ He heard Ruby grumble in pain from just next to him. So it had been her that saved his life. _'Did you get it?'_ She asked as they both began to sit up.

He shook his head uncertainly. _'I don't know.'_

Blake and Weiss landed next to them a moment later and he felt the last of their remaining Aura dwindle away. Neither of them looked very pleased as the connection between them dropped and the presence he had felt while linked vanished. Their time was up. The problem was, it didn't look like anyone knew if he had succeeded or not.

Before he could think on it any further Shirou landed in front of them all. He had squinted his eyes back closed so Jaune couldn't look into them and a disgruntled frown marred his face. Jaune attempted to scramble to his feet in fear as Shirou took a step towards them but Ruby jumped to her feet quicker and shoved him backwards and onto his butt as she threw herself defensively in front of him. "I won't let you hurt him!" She yelled as she twirled Crescent Rose threatening.

What the Hell was she thinking? She couldn't possibly fight him without any Aura. He would rip her apart! Why would she even try to put herself between the two of them knowing she would die? As he thought these things her memories still lingered in his mind even though the link had been broken. The news of his death...it had hurt her tremendously. Again she had been overcome by helplessness as she lost him in a way not too unfamiliar to how she lost her mother. That...that was why she was willing to sacrifice herself for him now?

It wasn't just her as Blake and Weiss both took up fighting stances by her side. They were prepared to fight until the bitter end. He struggled once more to get back to his feet. He didn't realize how sluggish one could feel when they were out of Aura and barely managed to so much as stand. If they were all in a similar state than they were as good as done. Damn it, damn it, damn it! Had he really failed at damaging his scroll? Had everything they'd done been for nothing and now they were simply going to die?

Shirou glanced over them before letting out a tired sigh and relaxing his stance. Both of his arms hung limply at his sides, one loosely holding his katana and on the wrist of his other…

...was his scroll with a giant gash cutting across the destroyed the screen.

He...he had done it!

This game was over.

A loud roar behind him followed by a crash reminded him that in fact it wasn't over at all. They still had that Wyvern to deal with. The four of them were out of Aura though. That left only one person that could help them.

"Shirou…" Jaune started slowly as he made his way past his teammates. "...go put an end to this like you promised."

The older man crossed his arms and stuck his nose up defiantly. "I don't recall saying I would kill all the remaining Grimm just because you broke my scroll. I simply won't have the means to call anymore." All the humour usually present in his voice was gone.

Was this guy being serious? Jaune's hands began to shake in anger as he fought the urge to punch him.

"Uncle!" Weiss snapped dryly. "Quit pouting like a sore loser and clean up your mess!"

"..." Shirou turned to regard his niece for a couple seconds before letting out another long, drawn out sigh. "...No! If you want it done go figure it out yourselves." How did he expect them to do that?! Surely he realised they were out of Aura!

Time was running out for everyone else and Jaune kept glancing back and forth nervously between the Wyvern and Weiss. If anyone had a chance of convincing him it was her but even she looked doubtful now. Her face was twisted in a mixture of disgust and seething anger. If she had been making that face in any other situation Jaune would just be glad it wasn't directed at them.

"I'm joking, I'm joking." Shirou finally broke all the tension and Weiss' expression almost immediately changed at his startling words. Jaune had no doubt his own mouth fell wide open as he whirled back on the headmaster. "I had to get back at you guys at least a little."

"Uncle..." Weiss growled as her frustration returned anew. "Kill that Wyvern. Now!"

"...Fine! I'll do it already. Geez..." Shirou threw his hands in the air as Weiss order him like one would a child.

Jaune, Blake and Ruby all raised an eyebrow at the unusual display. Was he really that upset that he had lost? Jaune had never pegged him as the type of person that would throw a tantrum like a child when he didn't get his way but now that he considered it maybe it wasn't all that surprising after all. Either way, he was just thankful Weiss had been here and knew what to say.

Shirou stalked past them as he grumbled unintelligibly beneath his breath. The four members of AWBR all glanced at one another before shrugging and jogging after him.

This game was finally almost over.

* * *

Pyrrha didn't know how much longer they could keep this up before someone finally died. She and SSSN had stayed behind to distract the Wyvern while Yang had led the others in dragging the injured as far away from this monster as possible. Yang had protested greatly but one good look at their two injured teammates was all it took to convince her. If they had been left here they would've surely been killed.

Still, it was slow going as their injured had nearly doubled when those vines had collapsed all around them. They were now restricted to a narrow path with which to retreat and the blazing heat from the Wyvern's fire kept them from even trying to find an alternative path. Add to that there was no way for them to do any serious damage to the Wyvern. Sun and Neptune still had dust rounds available but neither of their ammunition so much as stunned the giant creature.

Pyrrha had nothing she could attack physically until the Grimm reached its head down and tried to eat them whole. She had struck at its jaw several times only for her attack to bounce off pointlessly. Because of the fruitlessness of their efforts they were quickly forced to backpedal and in almost no time they had caught back up with the group trying to flee.

In short, they were moments away from complete annihilation.

This had not been how Pyrrha imagined this night would end for her. When this whole thing had started she had just been excited at the idea of being able to get closer to Jaune. Now it was looking like she would never see him again. To be fair, she wasn't going to see anything ever again once this Grimm was done with her.

A flash of white interrupted her thoughts and the Wyvern let out a very different roar this time. Now instead of sounding intimidating it sounded like it was in pain. The giant Grimm spun its neck around to observe whatever it was that had inflicted damage on it. Before it or any of them could react a beam of white light struck the base of its neck and violently ripped its way out the other end. The latest roar from the Wyvern halted as it collapsed backwards and smashed onto the flaming vines.

It was...dead. Just like that someone had killed it.

"Honestly. You kids have so much to learn." Pyrrha tensed as she heard the headmaster's voice. She raised Milo and Akuo defensively as he walked around the side of the giant Grimm and ambled towards them all. "Remember this!" He yelled loud enough for all of them to hear. "Big Grimm almost always have a big weakness. The Wyvern in particular has a diamond of soft tissue just at the base of its long neck. Now don't you all feel better? I taught you all a valuable lesson. So let's just let bygones be bygones." He gave them all a big grin and Pyrrha couldn't help but stare back in shock.

The roar of the flames around them was the only sound to be heard for several seconds as everyone came to terms with what had just happened. First and most importantly they had survived. Second and almost equally as crucial, the man that was behind this whole predicament was directly in front of them.

"You bastard!" Sun took a couple of aggressive steps forward as he raised his weapons. Just after he did, a chorus of angry shouts behind her indicated they were seconds away from a new battle.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Jaune sprinted into view waving his hands frantically and her eyes widened in shock at seeing him again. Without even realising it she took several steps towards him while her weapon and shield clattered to the ground. The noise made her conscious of the movement but she didn't bother stopping there.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune broke into a relieved grin when he saw her. She really liked that smile of his. "Help me talk some sense into every-" He was cut short as Pyrrha walked right into him and wrapped her arms around his body.

"I'm so happy you're okay." She whispered just loud enough for only him to hear. "I was so afraid it had been my fault you died."

"Uh-umm…Pyrrha?" Jaune fumbled to literate any kind of response which only made her smile grow even bigger as she continued to hug him.

When she finally pulled back, Weiss, Ruby and Blake were now standing just behind him. Blake in particular was making a complicated expression as she looked at them. Pyrrha didn't care anymore about that. If she had learned something from this it was that she wasn't going to hesitate in trying to get to know Jaune anymore. Life was too short and filled with uncertainty.

"This is all very touching but could someone get me a scroll. Mine has unfortunately been destroyed." Just like that, Shirou killed the moment as he asked possibly the most disturbing question she had ever heard.

"You must be joking." Sun practically spit from a short distance away. Pyrrha turned her head slightly to see every single student standing hesitantly away from them. Judging by the looks on their faces they were weighing the pros and cons of killing their nutty headmaster right here and now.

"Oh for crying out loud, take mine!" Weiss pulled her own scroll out and handed it to him.

"What're you doing?"

"Are you on his side?"

Several voices called out angrily but Weiss only rolled her eyes at them.

"Everyone just calm down! The game is over!" Jaune held his hands up defensively in front of Shirou and Pyrrha arched her eyebrows at him.

"How can you of all people defend him?" Yang broke free from the crowd and pointed an accusatory finger at Jaune. "Have you seen what he's done to you? You look like you died three different times!"

"To be fair, I've nearly died every encounter I've had since I started training to become a Huntsmen. I'm starting to think it comes with the territory." He paused long enough to chuckle at his own joke but quickly continued when no one else joined in. "Look, I'm not saying this test wasn't cruel and unusual but right now we need him to call us a flight back to Lambent. In case no one else has noticed we're kind of trapped down here right now. You guys can file all the complaints you want when we get back." Reluctantly they all began to back down but the looks of pure hatred they were giving Shirou held strong.

"Help is officially on the way. You can all thank me now." Shirou gave a deep bow before tossing the scroll back to Weiss. No one said anything to him in response.

"Ren and Nora?" Ruby poked Pyrrha's shoulder gently and she turned to the younger girl.

"They're both fine." Pyrrha nodded to her appreciatively. "Nora ran out of Aura and just needs rest. Ren's Aura has already healed his wound and as long as he doesn't move around too much he'll be in top shape in only a couple days." Ruby let out a big sigh of relief and Pyrrha couldn't help but smile at her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jaune talking quietly with his other two teammates.

"If I may ask, who dealt the final blow?" She asked as she kept glancing to Jaune out of the corner of her eye.

"Jaune did it! You should've seen it! The whole thing was all his idea!" Ruby immediately responded as she turned back to them.

"Ah! Don't listen to her!" Jaune hurried forward and slapped his hand over her mouth. "It was all a team effort! I barely played a part at all actually."

"I would say the whole thing hinged on you and your efforts, actually." Weiss patted him gently on the back and he whirled on her with a look of horror and disbelief. "What? Even I can compliment people sometimes."

"It was an impressive plan." Blake smirked at him and Jaune responded back with an awkward smile.

"Thanks. I only made it back at all thanks to you though." As he talked he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Blake continued to smile gently as she reached a hand forward and gripped his forearm. "That's what partners are for." Pyrrha quit paying attention to all the other conversation that was happening around them as she paid extra attention to how the two of them interacted around one another. She couldn't help but feel jealous from the level of closeness they displayed while they talked. She would definitely have to work hard to get closer to him too. Before that though, she really needed a nap. In fact, they all probably did.

"While we wait for our ship to arrive, does anyone want to play a game? I think I got a deck of cards somewhere." Shirou talked nonchalantly as he patted around his coat in search of his cards.

Everyone glared at him so maliciously Pyrrha thought they really might attack him again. "He's joking! I'm sure he's joking!" Jaune immediately got in between the students and Shirou again and flailed his hands frantically.

"No, I seriously think I have a deck of cards somewhere." Jaune's head fell as Shirou continued to make matters worse.

"I'm trying to prevent a mutiny here." Jaune whispered at him through grit teeth.

"Oh you're no fun."

"You've had plenty of fun today at our expense already!"

Pyrrha wasn't sure why but watching Jaune and Shirou bicker back and forth struck just the right cord and she broke out into laughter.

As twisted and horrible as this whole experience had been she had a feeling they would all be alright. Somehow they had all survived and her bonds with the others had grown stronger as a result. If Jaune and Shirou could argue like that despite having just been trying to kill one another not even minutes before than she really believed that this was truly okay.

They had all survived and right now that was all that really mattered.

* * *

 **AN:** And so concludes all of that action for awhile. Climatic enough for everyone? Not really? I don't know anymore. These last couple chapters have just been so stuffed with combat I'm really looking forward to writing something a little slower. Don't get me wrong, the fights were a ton of fun to brainstorm up and type but it starts to wear you out after awhile too. On a funny note, when I first started writing this in chapter ten I figured I would probably have it all wrapped up by chapter twelve. As you can see, that did not happen. Took me until chapter fifteen...I need to learn to control myself.

Shed a little bit more light on Jaune's Semblances and the big weakness that goes with it. I was actually surprised to get several reviews stating they felt his ability was under-powered last chapter. I had been more of the impression that it was over-powered, or at least had the potential to become such, and had thus created these weaknesses to hopefully mitigate that. So that was his Semblance in action this chapter.

Otherwise I'll let the chapter speak for itself and I'll just leave you with the usual.

Next time, Jaune and Blake finally have time to just sit down and talk after all the craziness.


	5. Lambent Part II

**Auburn**

 _Chapter 16 - Room_

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

* * *

"..." Blake and the other seven representatives of Beacon sat silently in the common room on their floor back at Lambent, unsure of what to say or do now that it was just them. Everyone else had either gotten off at their floor or had been taken to the infirmary. As many as twenty students had been sent there from last night's events.

Pyrrha had insisted that Ren and Nora go but they had both adamantly refused despite the severity of their injuries. Ren had at one point had a giant gouge spanning his entire torso while Nora had quite literally been hit by an explosion. It was only thanks to their now empty Aura either had survived at all, let alone regained consciousness so quickly and now they both sat next to one another in their casual clothes.

Almost everyone had showered and changed already, most of their clothes having been ruined. She said 'almost everyone' because for some reason Jaune was still wearing his blood-stained attire. Why hadn't he gone to his room to change yet? Blake eyed him oddly as he fidgeted next to her on the couch, his eyes darting around anxiously and every once in awhile he would flinch simply because the way a ray of light caught his eye. He looked about ready to jump out of his skin.

Ruby clung protectively to his arm even as she began to drift off to sleep. She had barely let him go since the airships had picked them up. Weiss meanwhile sat upright on a chair not far from them. Yang and Pyrrha occupied the last chair, Pyrrha sitting in it properly while Yang was propped up on the cushioned armrest.

"So…" Yang was the first one to finally break the awkward silence that had claimed their group. "...that was a thing."

"I think we can all agree _that_ is putting it lightly." Weiss quipped dryly as she tapped away at her now functioning scroll.

"You have been typing for quite awhile. What are you doing?" Pyrrha inquired politely and they all turned curiously to her.

"I am sending a formal complaint to my father." Weiss responded quickly while her fingers still danced away. "The things my uncle did tonight were beyond out of line and I will see to it that he be reprimanded for his actions."

"Will they really do something though?" Surprisingly it was Ren that asked this question. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees while his fingers interlaced in front of his chin. "We all signed that waiver agreeing to the conditions here. Death was always a real possibility."

Yang scoffed at his words. "There's a difference between a training accident and intentionally trying to cull half of us. I say if the government doesn't throw his nutty ass in jail I'm leaving this Hell and taking Ruby with me."

"Leaving isn't an option." Blake reminded quietly. "We agreed to stay here for at least two years. No ship is going to take us out of here."

"Then I'll walk!" Yang shouted and Ruby jumped slightly before rolling back onto Jaune's shoulder.

"I think we all know that is suicide, Yang." Pyrrha touched her shoulder gently in an attempt to calm her.

"Staying here is suicide." Yang whispered angrily, now conscious of her sleeping sister.

"We all made it out of that canyon." Nora offered optimistically.

"Only thanks to the miraculous return of Captain Atlas." Jaune flinched as everyone's eyes turned to him. Why in the heck was he so jittery right now? Everyone raised an eyebrow as they looked at him. He gave them all a nervous smile before his face contorted in pain and it looked like he tried to keep from verbally expressing his discomfort.

"I am curious about how you survived." Ren looked Jaune up and down as he observed the results of his numerous injuries. By all means Jaune should've died several times over already yet here he was, perfectly healthy. At least physically. He looked ready to have a mental breakdown any second now.

Jaune scratched the back of his head nervously as his eyes continued to dart around. "It wasn't much, I just got lucky is all." She supposed that was one way of putting it. Discovering his Semblance which happened to save his life certainly was lucky. After that though it had all been his skills and quick thinking. Luck had been pretty solidly against him most of the night.

"My message has been sent and with that I'm going to bed." Weiss got to her feet quickly and walked briskly in front of Jaune and Ruby before halting. "We will be discussing your Semblance more tomorrow. It has a lot of potential but I want to know what happened to you whenever you initiated a new link." Blake nodded in agreement. When he had linked to Weiss he had gone into seizure. His screams of agony had been ear-shattering and she really thought he might be killed by his own Semblance. In fact, she wasn't convinced his Semblance wasn't still trying to kill him. Why else would he be acting this way?

"Let us know what your dad says." Yang hopped off the armrest and walked just behind Weiss before bending down and hefting Ruby up with one arm. She slung the sleeping girl over her shoulder. Blake wasn't sure which impressed her more, the fact that she was strong enough to do that or the fact that it hadn't woken Ruby up.

"You'll have your answer when my uncle is being escorted out in handcuffs." Weiss smirked confidently at them all before walking towards their rooms. Yang followed after her while still holding Ruby.

"Don't you rebels stay up too late, you hear?" Yang gave a backwards wave as she disappeared into the hallway.

Awkward silence settled over the remaining five again for a brief moment before Pyrrha stretched and let out a long yawn. "Perhaps we should all retire for the night as well?" She slowly got to her feet and Blake noticed her watching Jaune the entire time she spoke. Just what kind of game was she playing with him? She appeared to be awfully interested in him for seemingly no reason at all and it frustrated Blake to no end trying to figure it out. It would've been one thing if it had only just started tonight but this strange attention she seemed to give to Jaune had been evident since the night with the Chimera. For all she knew it had started before that.

Was it really something she should be getting so flustered over? Pyrrha was a nice girl and who she chose to take an interest in was her business. However, the person she had taken an interest in just so happened to be her partner. As far as Blake was concerned that now made it her business as well. They were in the middle of Grimm territory. Jaune had nearly been killed just tonight. He needed to focus on getting more skilled, not worrying about women. Pyrrha was a hindrance to that.

"Let's go Ren! The sooner we get to sleep the sooner you can make me pancakes tomorrow!" Nora jumped to her feet excitedly and began to beeline it for the hallway.

Ren let out a tired sigh. Was it even possible to get pancakes here? Something like that might have to be ordered and who knew how many GKP that would cost them. Not that any of them were short on points at the moment. They had all killed plenty of Grimm thanks to this little excursion.

"Ah...Ren?" Jaune mumbled awkwardly just as Ren began to stand up. He paused halfway and looked at him quizzically. Pyrrha and Blake also gave Jaune odd looks of their own. "I kinda need a favour...but…" He looked back and forth between Pyrrha and Blake.

"Oh, excuse me." Pyrrha blushed and quickly made her way past them and off to their rooms.

"What's taking so long?"

"Not now Nora." Pyrrha grabbed her bubbly teammate and pushed her into the hallway.

Jaune looked at Blake next but she merely crossed her legs and leaned more comfortably into the couch, as if daring him to tell her to leave. His gaze lingered only for another moment before he shrugged and turned back to Ren.

"..."

"..."

Neither of them said anything while they both waited for the other to talk. Finally, Ren appeared to be the first one to break and he dropped back to his chair. "What is it you need, Jaune?" He asked politely enough.

"Well, the thing is…" Jaune twiddled his thumbs sheepishly and his eyes darted around as he tried to think of what to say. "...I may have broken my scroll tonight. Rather, it got sliced in half actually." Blake and Ren both turned to look at one another. Her yellow eyes met his magenta ones and she could see the confusion equally palpable in them. They both shrugged and turned back to him.

"And you're telling me this because…" Ren rolled his hands as he prodded him to continue.

"Oh! Right!" Jaune sputtered for a second before he managed to continue. "I can't get into my room without it. I'm kinda stuck with these clothes and I don't exactly have a place to sleep."

Ren and Blake blinked.

"Ah." They said together as they finally realised the severity of his predicament.

"Well, I would be happy to lend you some clothes for tonight." Green wasn't exactly Jaune's colour but it wasn't looking like he had much choice. "I also don't see a problem if you slept in my roo-"

"He will stay with me tonight." Blake cut him off and both of them turned to her in surprise.

"Uhh...what?" Jaune gave her one of the most terrified expressions she had ever seen on his face. What was that look for?

"The last time I let you out of my sight you walked off into a death-trap without so much as even giving me a word. Forgive me if I'm reluctant you let you pull a stunt like that again." She crossed her arms and glared at him so resolutely he couldn't possibly disagree.

"Umm…" Jaune tilted his eyes to Ren, imploring him for help. Blake turned her glare on him and Ren immediately shrunk back.

"I'll go get his clothes." Blake smirked as Ren made a swift retreat and Jaune could only watch helplessly.

"...I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Jaune dropped his head into his hands in defeat. He almost undoubtedly believed that her only interest in doing this was so she could give him a piece of her mind and while she did admit the thought was tempting she would have plenty of time to do that during their training tomorrow. She really did just want to make sure nothing else happened to him tonight. Her intentions weren't always as warped as he seemed to make them out to be.

"Here you are." Ren returned as quickly as he had disappeared and he handed Jaune his temporary clothes.

"Thanks." Jaune got to his feet and took the clothes. He then stood there awkwardly for several seconds as he looked between the clothes, Ren, and Blake. "...I'm going to uhh...go change now." He declared before scurrying off towards the bathroom.

* * *

Ren watched him with a piqued eyebrow and Blake turned her head as he bolted into the other room. Almost immediately after he vanished silence claimed the area as only the two quietest members of the team were left.

"He appears flustered." Ren pointed out dryly and Blake turned to regard him. He was now looking right at her. She grimaced slightly as she met his eyes. He was right of course, something was bothering Jaune and she doubted it was something as simple as being terrified of sleeping in the same room as her. Rather, ever since the danger had subsided he had turned into this stuttering mess of a person. It was almost impossible to believe that the person that had come up with the winning strategy that saved everybody's life was the same person as right this moment.

"I'll talk to him." Blake broke eye-contact and turned back to where Jaune had gone. She would get to the bottom of his drastic behaviour change. As his partner it was her duty to take care of him after all. Especially since he appeared incapable of taking care of himself.

"Pass onto him my gratitude." She heard Ren begin to walk away but the nature of his words confused her. He had been the one to do Jaune a favour just now.

"For what?" She asked without turning around.

"For doing the impossible." Ren's response was just as cryptic but Blake understood exactly what he meant. So many of them should've died tonight. After the Wyvern had appeared it could've been all of them that died. Jaune, who everyone had given up for dead, had come back and ended the game early by breaking Shirou's scroll. It really did sound impossible when put like that but it had happened.

That made it even harder to believe that Jaune had regressed so far after accomplishing such a task. He should've been filled with elation, confidence even. While they had been linked she could feel his unwavering spirit course through her. He clearly had it in him but something was holding him back. What could it be though?

"So...how do I look?" Jaune's voice startled her out of her internal conflict and she focused back into reality. He was standing in front of her wearing Ren's clothes. She would be lying if she said he didn't look at least a little silly. Ren's tailcoat appeared long enough but clung maybe just a little too tightly to his more broad body. The pants though were clearly too short and stopped well above his ankles. Add to the fact that it just looked out-of-place on him and she had to fight the urge to laugh in response to his question. He must have been able to see the mirth in her expression though because he blushed a little more deeply before turning his head away. "Nevermind, let's just go."

He quickly walked around the side of the couch and towards their rooms. "Oh, don't be like that. You look fine." Blake quickly scrambled after him while trying her best not to snicker. She really couldn't help it though. It wasn't everyday she saw him wearing something so different. Now that she thought about it… "You can't really tell me that embarrasses you but you were perfectly fine walking around in public wearing a onesie."

"That-that was…" Jaune opened and closed his mouth as he attempted to retort but then paused as realisation dawned on him. "Huh, you might be right." He admitted while he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Blake smiled softly as some of his more natural mannerisms seemed to return. She wouldn't ever tell anyone but she was a little happy to think that it only happened when it was just the two of them. The moment was ruined though when Jaune flinched once more as a look of pain overtook him. It vanished almost as quickly as it appeared but he went back to his awkward self almost immediately after. She needed to get to the bottom of this quickly.

"Wait out here for a second while I change." They stopped outside of her door and she immediately slipped inside and locked him out. She walked to where she had dumped her yukata and quickly changed into it. She had been in such a hurry to go running to save Jaune she had left her room a mess as she had scurried about to get ready. Seeing it like this embarrassed her so she tidied up and tucked everything away before looking around and nodding in content.

Now to let Jaune in...she paused as she turned to the door. He...he had almost died tonight. She believed he had died at one point. The emotions she had felt upon finding him alive...there had been far too many for her to even be able to place them all now. This whole evening had been an emotional roller-coaster for her actually. Yet it wasn't done yet. Something was still tormenting Jaune but she was unsure if he would willingly tell her what it was. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, Blake knew because of the link that Jaune trusted her more than he trusted anyone else in the world. That included himself which was likely the base of his reluctance. Jaune simply didn't trust himself.

That was a feeling Blake could relate to which might have been why it resonated so strongly with her when the two of them had been linked. Yet it was also a little bit different. Jaune didn't trust in his skills and the ability to see things through. In other words he always questioned whether or not he was good enough. Blake didn't trust herself to see things through but for a different reason. Whenever the going had gotten tough she would simply turn and flee, not because she didn't think she could handle it, but simply because she had been too terrified to try.

That was the key difference between them and what truly drew her attention to Jaune. Despite all his doubts and insecurities he still charged head-first into everything no matter how terrible the danger. It stood in stark contrast to her that she couldn't help but be in awe of him. So she had thrown herself into training him intently. If he could become stronger and change himself then surely it would be possible for her to change too, right?

When she had heard Jaune was in danger she had run out there without a moment's hesitation. In order to protect him, all her doubts and worries had vanished and likewise, when his team had been in trouble he had made decisions in order to protect them. Maybe it hadn't been much, but her hunch had been right. As long as she stayed by Jaune she could continue to grow and maybe one day she would be able to confront her past. At least that was what she believed now.

After everything that had happened tonight maybe it wouldn't hurt to take at least a small step? How could she expect Jaune to open up himself if she wouldn't open up first? It had been that very mistake that had led to their first fight back in Forever Fall. She gave a shaky breath and reached her hands up and placed them on her bow.

Inhale. Exhale.

This really shouldn't be so hard, it was just Jaune. She closed her eyes and pulled at the bow. It unravelled and her cat ears twitched as they became exposed to the air in the room. She gripped the bow tightly in her hand and opened her eyes to stare resolutely at the door. She could do this...she wouldn't run away now. Not this time. She took a small step towards the door. Then another. Finally, she stopped directly in front of it and took one more deep breath. Here goes nothing.

She opened the door.

"What took you?" Jaune asked before letting out a loud yawn, causing his eyes to close and he walked into the room and right by her. She stared at him with wide-eyes as he stopped just past her and began to inspect the room. "No matter how I look at these rooms they're just too cramped. So what? I'll sleep next to the bed or something?"

Was he being serious? Did he have any idea how much courage she had just mustered up right now? And he didn't even notice? Frustration boiled in the bottom of her gut and her previous anxiety was almost completely erased as she stalked right next to him. Before he so much as had a chance to react she grabbed his wrist and brought his hand up and placed it on top of one of her ears.

No one had ever touched her ears before.

No one.

She had just expressed to him yesterday how highly the Faunus were supposed to value their animal characteristic. If he didn't get it even after this she really might punch him. This was not only an incredibly personal thing for her but she was actively expressing that he was the closest person in her life right now. He was her best friend and she trusted him unconditionally.

"Blake, what're you-Oh...ooooh…" He turned to her at first in confusion and then his eyes widened to the size of saucers as he realised exactly what it was she was doing. The hand on her ear twitched as he hesitated, clearly unsure what to do now in this situation.

"..." The two of them stared at one another in absolute silence. Her yellow eyes stared imploringly into his confused blue eyes, almost begging him to give her some kind of response.

Finally, Jaune brought his other hand up to his mouth and cleared his throat. "Uhh...umm...they're nice? Yeah, they look good on you." His face flushed as he uttered out some random nicety. Her ears flattened slightly and her face fell in disappointment. Was that really all he had to say about it? He didn't think anything more of them other than that? Once again she began to wonder why she had summoned the courage to do this at all if that was all the response he was going to give. The hand holding his wrist fell to the side and she began to take a step back.

Before she could pull her ear out from his reach though he began to scratch it affectionately and she gave a startled twitch. Her eyes looked back up to see him giving an apologetic grin. "It must've been hard for you to show me this. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound ungrateful." He continued to scratch her ear and she unconsciously moved a little further into his hand. It was both an aggravating and sensational feeling as he scratched her ear. On the one hand it was demeaning and an insult to her very worth as a person. On the other hand it simply felt too damn good.

"The truth is...I've seen them already." What? She looked at him with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. How was what he said possible? She had never taken her bow off except when she had gone into the shower. It was impossible for him to have seen them...unless he had peeped on her. Her face flushed red in anger for a second and his eyes widened in shock.

"I can explain, I can explain!" He held his free hand up defensively while cringing away in case she swung at him. "I saw them in your memories!"

The hand she was raising slowly slipped back down to her side as her anger turned once more into curiosity. Her memories...what was he talking about? Unless he meant that- "You assimilated our memories when you linked with us." Suddenly everything made sense to her. The extreme pain he had been in every time he had linked. How it had gotten more dramatic with each successive link. His brain had been loading itself with years of information in the span of seconds. It was a wonder he hadn't been driven insane.

"Sorry. I wasn't trying to hide it. I just didn't see an opportunity to tell you before now." Was that why he had been so awkward around everyone before? He claimed he had seen her cat ears so that meant all their memories were still jumbled together inside his head? If she thought of it that way than anyone would be naturally jittery. His random flinches of pain, the way his eyes would dart around while not focusing on anything. Now that everything had calmed down the memories were probably becoming more focused and he was slowly being overwhelmed by them. Panic overtook her as she realised he was being wilted away by his own Semblance.

"You need to promise me that you won't link to anyone else." She grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt...well, Ren's shirt, and looked him directly in the eyes. "Linking to the three of us alone nearly destroyed your brain."

"Yeah, I kinda realised that." He scratched the back of his own head awkwardly while the other hand continued to pet her ear. She had been so startled by his revelation that she forgot he was doing that for a second. Now that she was aware of it again it became harder to focus on what they were talking about...damn, why did that feel so nice? She needed to tell him to stop but couldn't bring herself to do so at the same time.

"I need you to teach me more about Aura manipulation. There's someone I have to talk to again. She might be able to help me." She almost missed what he said and thought that maybe she had missed something from before that.

"Who do you need to talk to?"

"A memory." He answered vaguely and she tilted her head in confusion. If that was supposed to make sense she had no idea how. "It doesn't have to be right now. Just sometime." He finally quit scratching her ear and pulled his hand back. She was ashamed to admit that she already missed the warmth of it and had almost asked him to continue on instinct alone.

"Are you going to be okay?" She pushed the feeling down and instead focused on Jaune's own mental state. "You must be confused with all our-" Her breath caught and her eyes widened in realisation yet again. If he had her memories...he had seen everything she had done in the past. He knew everything about her now. Sure, she had told him she had been in the White Fang but she had never told him of some of the things she had done working for them. Now he was completely exposed to her truth. Even if she trusted him unconditionally that didn't mean he felt the same; especially after all the things she had done.

Yet...he wasn't treating her any different. Did he just not get that far back in her memories yet? No, he must've seen them at least briefly. Did he really not care? "Jaune...about some of the things you've seen."

"Hmm?" Jaune tilted his head as he tried to figure out what she meant.

"While I was in the White Fang-" Blake clarified as she tried to figure out how best to defend herself and the things she had done.

"Oh, that." Jaune shook his head quickly to cut her off before giving her a small smile. "You don't need to say anything, Blake. You...you had a hard time growing up. I can see that now. Compared to what you've been through my life was…" He trailed off as his eyes glazed over for a second. He gave a small twitch and focused back in on her. "Whatever happened in the past can stay in the past. The only thing I can say for certain is you're here now and I'm glad you're by my side. At least...that's what my twin sister always said."

Blake stared at him in shock for a small second. "That...actually sounded kinda profound. Until you added that last bit." Seriously, did he lift every decent thing he said from his family?

"What? Just because my sister said it makes it not profound anymore?" He asked while giving her a sly grin.

Blake smirked back as she gave him a light shove. "And here I actually thought you said something cool for a second." He chuckled as he stumbled backwards and she couldn't help but giggle in response. For all his socially awkward tendencies he always knew exactly what to say to diffuse a tense conversation. As she looked at his smiling face she felt this strange feeling of liberation. In front of her was someone that knew everything about her. She had no secrets left from him at all. The thought of being completely exposed used to terrify her. Yet he treated her no differently than he had before. Instead, to him, she was the same person he had been partnered with back in the Emerald Forest.

She was really glad she had summoned the courage to show him her ears now.

"Well, I don't know about you but I'm beat." Jaune gestured absently at the floor next to her bed and she gave a small nod as she pulled off one of the pillows and handed him a blanket.

"Make yourself comfortable." She mumbled as he tossed the pillow on the floor in between her bed and desk and flopped onto the ground before rolling over and covering himself in the blanket.

"Goodnight, Blake." He mumbled tiredly. She smiled at his blonde hair that was just poking out over top the blanket. He must've been really out of it. No surprise at all given what he had been through tonight.

"Goodnight, Jaune." She replied back as she crawled into her own bed. Sleep had claimed her partner almost immediately and just as it began to drag her off as well her scroll went off and flashed brightly. She wanted to ignore it. She wanted to do it so badly but if it was going off at this hour it was almost certainly important. With a frustrated sigh she reached across towards her desk and snatched it up.

Her eyes quirked curiously when she saw she had a pending audio message. Some number she didn't recognise sent her a recording. Should she save it until tomorrow morning? She really wanted to but...she was curious now. Damn it, sometimes she cursed the cat part of herself. She quickly reached for her earbuds and plugged them in before placing them on and opened the message.

"Greetings Team AWBR minus Mr Arc!" She almost ripped the earbuds off on instinct when Shirou Schnee's annoying voice greeted her. "You're probably wondering why I'm sending the three of you this message right about now?" This reminded her horribly of the last time he had said something like that. Considering it had just happened earlier tonight she doubted he was doing it by coincidence either. A real bastard through and through.

"I actually would've sent this message to you all earlier but _someone_ broke my scroll. Fortunately I had all my data backed up so you kids are in luck!" Could he just get to the point already? His annoying voice was beginning to grate on her brain. "Mr Arc learned some pretty interesting things about the three of you tonight judging by his reaction to his own Semblance." He knew Jaune had seen their memories? Just how insightful was this guy? Like him or hate him he was undoubtedly clever. "Think of this as my way as just evening the playing field a little. You can all thank me later." She heard a loud click followed by a quick moment of feedback. Then nothing for several moments.

"You've heard of my family before?" Blake flinched in surprise when it was Jaune's voice that came through her scroll next. Was this...a recording?

"Of course I have." Shirou responded. "The Arcs are famous war heroes throughout history. They were often integral in determining the outcome of many major battles." What was going on? Why were they talking about this? More importantly, why was Shirou letting them hear this?

"When I was a little kid my dad used to tell me about all the heroic things they did. I looked up to them. I wanted nothing more than to become a great Hunter and warrior like they all were. Like what my dad was. He would always tell me that one day it would be my turn to pick up Crocea Mors and that I would change history with it. His favorite thing to tell me was 'Just be confident Jaune. All a girl looks for in a man is confidence.' I took those words to heart."

Despite her doubts and misgivings she continued to listen as Jaune described why he had decided to become a Huntsmen.

* * *

 **AN:** Haha! I've finally succeeded in keeping a chapter down to a manageable length! I guess that's what happens when there aren't countless parts all moving at once.

I hope you guys enjoyed the slower chapter. Things should probably keep at this pace for the next couple as they continue to deal with the aftermath. It's a little more difficult for me to write than all that action but it's necessary and I'm still having fun getting it down and as long as it's fun that's all that matters, right?

Next time, Jaune continues to struggle with his Semblance.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 17 - Dream_

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

* * *

Jaune had...no idea where he was right now.

Dead trees cast ominous shadows all around him and the shattered moon shone unhindered in the clear sky. He took a couple of uneasy steps forward and the sound of snow crunching beneath his feet made him realise how cold it was. His breath became visible and he whirled around, trying to find some familiar landmark. This forest...this disturbingly dead forest seemed nostalgic. Yet he was almost positive he had never been here in his life before. A flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he whirled to see what it was.

Nothing.

He took several uneasy steps back and reached for Crocea Mors only to find it wasn't on his hip. What? He glanced down quickly to see what was going on to find he didn't have his weapons on him, nor was he in his usual attire. Instead he was wearing a familiar red cloak that covered his entire body. This wasn't what he normally wore...or was it? Now that he thought about it, maybe this was right.

A bolt of pain flashed across his head and he dropped to his knees as the world blinked in and out. Static filled his surroundings for a brief second before the dead forest came back. Then it happened again. He couldn't take this...he needed to get out of here.

He stumbled to his feet and began to wobble away. He crashed into a tree and it burst apart into dozens of tiny fragments of light and made the sound of glass shattering. From where the tree had been an angry static began to emit that almost instantly drove him mad. Hands cupped over his ears in a vain attempt to keep out the horrendous, almost screeching like noise as he struggled to get away from the source of it.

The world began to blur away as he stumbled further and further through the forest and the constant buzzing only grew louder until it was unbearable. When he finally thought it was going to be too much he fell free of the forest and collapsed to the ground next to a cliff. The world...it was quiet again.

He could hear his own short, panicked breath and felt the numbness of his cheek that was buried in the snow beneath him. Despite the best efforts of his red cloak, his legs, chest, and arms were soaking wet and he pushed himself to his knees in an effort to get at least a little further away from the frigid surface.

Before he could climb to his feet his body froze as his eyes locked onto the sight before him. A single gravestone sat perched along the edge of the cliff with a single rose insignia inscribed upon it. The name of the person was covered by snow but he didn't need to see the name, he knew who it was.

Silent tears crept into his vision and rolled down his cheek as he continued to stare at it.

It was _his_ mother.

That...that wasn't right. His mother, she wasn't dead...was she? Flashes of a blonde woman screeched across his vision but vanished too quickly for him to place the scene. He grimaced and gripped the entire left side of his face as a groan escaped his lips. The name, he needed to see the name that was obscured.

His right hand reached forward but paused just short of actually touching the marker. Did he really want to know the truth? What if his mother's name was beneath there? Could he deal with the idea of losing her? Before he thought of such things maybe it was better for him to ask what his mother's name was to begin with?

He...he couldn't remember.

Panic renewed itself in his heart as he realised he had lost a vital piece of information and immediately rubbed the snow away and revealed the name for him to see: Summer Rose.

He blinked as he stared at it.

That name...it sounded right yet it had to be wrong. Or did it?

Wasn't his name Jaune Rose?

No.

That wasn't right.

Jaune...what?

He couldn't remember, but he knew it wasn't Rose. And this marker wasn't for his mother.

It couldn't be for her.

He refused to believe that.

Who else would it be though?

He climbed to his feet. He couldn't be here anymore. Just looking at the gravestone was beginning to make his head spin. While still gripping the side of his face he turned to walk away but stopped before he even managed to take a single step.

Beowulfs...dozens of them prowled the ground in front of him, most of them still behind the treeline. Some of them blended into the dark trees they hid behind but most of them stood out all too clearly thanks to the snow-reflected moonlight. Their hungry red eyes burned into his soul and he took several steps back on instinct alone. The back of his heel struck the gravestone behind him.

The Beowulfs let out vicious snarls as they began to creep past the confines of the forest and closer towards their frightened prey. He didn't have his weapons. How was he supposed to defend himself?

He couldn't.

There was simply no way.

Could he outrun them? And how exactly did he plan to do that? They were in front of him and there was a cliff behind him. Where would he go?

...Screw it.

If he was going to die either way he might as well do it on his own terms.

His body tensed for action as the Beowulfs continued to creep closer. It was now or never. With a mighty yell he kicked off the ground and sprinted full-force into the thick of them. His red cloak billowed in the wind as he ran.

The Beowulf closest to him recoiled in shock and he tackled into it, bowling it over before stumbling over its prone body. Once past it he continued to sprint as fast as his legs would take him. The remaining Beowulfs began to growl and roar in anger as they gave chase.

He entered the forest and just as he passed the first tree a claw swung at his head. He ducked underneath it and felt the wind from the strike breeze over him. One of the Beowulfs behind him let out a mighty howl and he heard others in every direction respond to it.

He was surrounded by them...behind every tree he saw more and more and there were a plethora of trees. Regardless, he couldn't stop now. To stop meant to die.

He didn't want to die.

So instead he ran. Every once in awhile he would dodge a strike, bite, or tackle from one of the Grimm that gave chase or attempted to ambush him. His hot breath cast a heavy fog as it was exposed to the crisp air but he didn't feel any of the earlier chill now that adrenaline coursed through him.

He ran until the trees began to thin and this time came to a frozen lake. There were no more trees for the Beowulfs to hide behind in front of him but there were hundreds of them still behind him. So without a moment's hesitation he ran onto the ice in what was likely a vain attempt to lose them.

To his delight he heard several howls of pain followed by a crash as they slipped on the slippery surface. He almost let out a small laugh until his luck gave out and he hit a particular nasty patch.

The world became a blur as he fell and twisted so as not to fall on his head. He hit the ice on the middle of his back and slid forward thanks to the momentum of his terrified sprint. Finally, he skid to a stop and immediately tried to clamber back to his feet. He failed immediately and fell once more smack onto his back.

He groaned in a mixture of pain and annoyance as he rolled onto his stomach. He placed his hands on the ice and propped himself up before sliding to his knees. Before he could get any higher he caught his reflection.

Scraggly blonde hair and blue eyes stared back at him...but instead of the red cloak he was wearing a formal white suit.

Crack.

What was going on?

He thought he always wore red. Wasn't that his thing?

Crack.

No, why in the world would he think he wore red?

Crack. Crack.

He always wore white, it was the colour of his family.

The ice beneath him split and his image was distorted.

A moment later it shattered and he fell.

Instead of being dunked into frigid water though he was met with air.

He didn't have time to question the absurdity of what had happened before he crashed onto the hard marble surface of the floor beneath him. He just laid there for several seconds as he debated whether or not it was even worth it to get up. While it was true the marble beneath him was cold and hard it didn't stop him from slowly growing accustomed to it. He was already down here so why bother getting up? If he got up that meant he had to go out and deal with stuff and that sounded like a major pain to him.

Creak.

Something in the distance shifted and made a loud noise as what sounded like two pieces of metal scraped together.

Ah man.

With a loud sigh he placed the palms of his hands on the ground and lifted himself into a sitting position. Once more he thought the same thing he had when he had first come to.

He had no idea where he was.

Instead of being in some deserted forest he was now in the middle of some giant cathedral. Stained glass decorated the entire length of the massive building and some giant metal statue was crouched at the forefront. There was no exit that he could see.

Maybe he should make his way towards the stained glass? There were two particular large pieces both at the front of rear of the cathedral. Inscribed unto them was a giant snowflake. Trying to get out of here was most likely the sane decision.

Creak.

Once more the sound permeated throughout the cathedral and he whirled around in an attempt to locate the source. There was only one source of metal in sight and it was the incredibly intimidating statue kneeling just ahead of him.

Against his better judgement he walked towards it. His steps echoed loudly across the room but just behind them he could hear another noise. It sounded like someone was singing...singing something very sad. As he listened an incredible feeling of loneliness washed over him and another throb of pain coursed through his head. He managed to only respond to the throb with a minor flinch. As scary as the thought was he was becoming used to the pain.

Finally, he stopped in front of the statue and looked into its reflective surface. Looking back at him was his own reflection. He still wore that formal white suit he had seen when he had looked at his reflection in the ice. This looked much better and more natural on him. Definitely better than red.

Why then...did his expression look so melancholy?

As he continued to stare at the expression on his face, more people began to appear in the reflection cast by the armor. He recoiled back and whirled around but he was still alone in the cathedral.

It was only him.

He looked back at the reflection to see exactly seven people standing by his side. Four of them hung to his left and three to his right. He of course recognised them all immediately.

They were his sisters.

All seven of them stood smiling brightly back at him with their hands placed on their hips but his own reflection still showed the same sad frown with his arms hung loosely by his side.

Why did he look so lonely?

Having that many siblings should've been a crowded life, shouldn't it?

Of course it must have been. He was sure he had plenty of memories with them. Times they laughed, times they got hurt, times they got in trouble, times they had been praised, times they had fought, times they had forgiven each other. There must have been countless experiences.

Why then? Why was it he couldn't remember a single one of them? Why couldn't he remember any of their names?

He groaned in pain as the sister furthest to his left began to fade from the reflection.

No!

He couldn't lose her! He wouldn't let the memory fade! He had to hold onto them! These were his precious sisters...his precious family. If he lost them, what was he? He was lonely.

He needed to remember something. He would remember her. He stared into her orange eyes and saw unbridled determination flare inside them. Her flowing purple hair was tied in a long ponytail. Purple...more like a violet color.

Violet.

Her name was Violet!

He grinned cockily as the image ceased to fade.

Creak. Creak.

The sound of grating metal was much louder now and he immediately understood why as the metal statue began to move. It had been crouched on the ground on one knee before but now it began to rise to its feet.

Jaune's smile slipped as he took several hurried steps back. The giant metal knight reached its full height and hefted a large broadsword over its shoulder. That didn't look good.

The knight stepped forward and swung the sword down.

Ah crap!

Jaune dove to the side just in the knick of time and the sword slammed into the ground and sent hunks of marble flying in every direction. Some of the debris flew just past his head.. That had been a little too close for comfort. The knight wasn't done yet though as it picked the sword back up and turned to look at him.

Just perfect. Yeah, let's just go check out the suspicious looking statue on the other end of the room. That sounds like a totally sane, safe idea. What could possibly go wrong? He really wanted to hit himself right now. He probably would if something else wasn't trying to hit him at the same time.

He rolled out of the way as the knight took another swing at him and just as he was bouncing back to his feet he heard another object whizzing through the air. He turned to see the knight kicking at him.

Oh damn…

He hadn't been prepared for it and the solid metal boot caught his entire body and sent him rocketing across the room. A loud shattering noise echoed inside his head upon impact and it was immediately followed by another one when he crashed back onto the hard marble floor.

Was that the noise of him breaking? He certainly didn't think so? What was he? Made of glass? No, something else had been shattered by those blows.

Surprisingly he didn't feel more than a dull ache as he tumbled back to his feet. For being such a giant thing it certainly didn't hit very hard. He froze in realisation as his eyes locked on the breastplate of the metal knight.

Reflecting off the armor were only six figures…

...two of his sisters were gone.

Their images had been what shattered and he couldn't recall them.

Not their faces.

Not their names.

This thing...it was destroying his sisters! It was destroying his memories of his sisters!

Anger boiled in his gut and his hands clenched so tightly he could feel his nails pierce the skin. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks as he tried and failed to remember the two sisters he had lost.

The suit of armour began to run at him as he continued to glare at the now empty spots in the reflection. He would...he would make this thing pay!

How could he do that though? He didn't have his weapon.

That didn't matter.

He would make it work.

The armour swung the sword down and he jumped backwards. It slammed into the ground and once more debris was launched at him as it split the floor apart. He tilted his head and twisted his body just enough for the pieces to fly by him before sprinting forward.

He jumped on top of the massive sword that was still planted in the ground and began running up the handle. He then jumped up onto its arm and nearly slipped off but barely managed to maintain his balance. He continued to run up the side of its arm and cocked his hand back as he prepared to punch at its face.

He didn't even know why he bothered. The knight's other arm reached around faster than he could react and snatched him up before it held him high in the air and squeezed tight. He tried his damndest not to groan in pain as he glared defiantly at the evil armour.

He wouldn't give it the satisfaction of thinking it had beaten him.

Shatter.

No! Please no...another sister was gone.

Shatter.

Why? Why was this thing doing this to him?

It's grip on him loosened for just a second before his vision blurred as it pulled him back behind it. Before he had time to figure out what it was doing it threw him forward with all its might and once again he was flying through the air.

Shatter.

He crashed into the stained glass and flew outside the cathedral. He slammed onto the ground on his back and didn't even bother to get up as his eyes twisted shut in pain, obscuring his vision.

Tears rolled down the side of his face and his body shook as he gave a small hiccup.

While growing up the only thing he had were his sisters...without them - he didn't want to think of his life without them. There were only two of them left that he could picture any more.

This was the worst. Without all of them he was truly alone. He didn't want to be alone.

Bump

His body was roughly knocked into the air for just a second before he crashed back onto the metal floor, interrupting his train of thought.

Now what?

He brought his sleeve up and wiped away the tears before looking straight up at the ceiling.

It was dark.

The entire room he was in was almost completely black.

What's more it was...moving?

Was he on a train or something?

That seemed to make the most sense to him judging by the sound of rushing wind he could barely hear just outside. He stumbled to his feet and leaned against the side of the wall for support while grasping the side of his pulsing head.

It hurt.

Everything freaking hurt.

Things he was supposed to know were disappearing and they were being replaced by things he wasn't supposed to know. It was all blending together and forming some incoherent identity. He couldn't...he couldn't remember his name anymore.

Why was that the thing that always seemed to go? At first it had been his last name. Now it was his first name. His mother...was she alive or was she dead? He had no idea. How many siblings did he have? Did he even have any at all? Images of a busty blonde girl surfaced but were almost immediately drowned out by seven shadows that he couldn't place forms to.

He groaned and attempted to take a step forward but another violent bump knocked him off his feet and sent him sprawling to the floor. He couldn't take much more of this. He needed to find something. Surely there was something in this brain of his that wasn't damaged. What though?

Blake.

That was right! He knew who Blake was!

She was his partner.

She was a Faunus and he was a human yet they were best friends.

Most importantly, even though he could barely remember anything about himself he found he could remember everything that had to do with Blake without any difficulty. She was the one stable thing in his memory. She was his anchor.

He needed...he needed to find her. If he could be with Blake he would be safe. His memories, he could sort them. He could remember what he needed if he was just with her. He didn't have any basis for these thoughts yet he didn't doubt them. They had to be right.

He placed his palms on the metal floor and once more picked himself up with a determined scowl. His head gave another pulse of pain and the world blurred to static for a second but he fought past it as he stumbled forward to the door of the compartment.

It slid open and he walked out into the night air of the Forever Fall Forest that the train was currently traveling through. The red gleam of the leaves around him extended even to the moon and it cast a sinister light over the entire area.

What was he even doing on this train to begin with? Did the answer to that really matter? He had something more important to do. He absolutely had to find Blake.

A bright flash of light caught his attention as the door to the next compartment over exploded and a girl came flying out of it. Not just any girl though...it was the girl he was looking for. It was Blake. He had found her. Rather, she had found him.

He extended his arm to wave at her but stopped short when it was apparent she wasn't looking at him. She was staring straight ahead at the door she had just been ejected out of. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't exactly normal for people to get launched out of exploding trains.

His eye twitched as another wave of pain and nausea overcame him yet he managed to not look away from the scene and give into the pain. Blake...she was in trouble and needed his help right now. He would never allow himself to be overcome by some minor thing like a headache if she needed him.

Bump.

The train gave another small lurch and then another as something began to emerge from the darkness of the next compartment. To his horror a giant Spider Droid strut out and into open view. Why of all the things she had to get involved with did it have to be something like that?

Oh well.

Nothing he could do about it now. There was only one option for him at this point. If something like that was after his partner than he had no choice but to fight it with her.

Fight it with what though? The last time he checked he didn't exactly have any weapons. He looked down at his attire and wasn't very surprised to see it had changed yet again. This time he had blue jeans and a black hoodie on. Over the hoodie was a metal breastplate and pauldrons were placed upon either shoulder. Hanging off his hip was a sword and sheath.

Huh, that was more like it.

He pulled out the sword and the sheath popped open into a shield. He placed his hand around the handle to the shield and held it defensively in front of him while he brought the sword up high. It felt right...natural even.

He was a swordsman.

That was probably a good thing too because Blake was charging to meet the Spider Droid. He had to help her. Without wasting another second he sprinted forward and jumped across the gap where the drawbar connected the two cars.

Blake meanwhile dodged side to side gracefully while the Spider Droid tried and failed to blast her with its cannons. She reached it after it fired only three shots and launched herself upwards, slicing through it with her katana which transformed into its kusarigama form upon contact. She sailed past it, dragging her ribbon up with her and using the trigger on the end to fire the kusarigama upwards and towards her. As she began to fall back to the ground she twirled in the air and her blade struck the droid three more times before she landed.

Her blade was already flying back to her and she caught it not even a full second later and launched forward at speeds that made her a blur to the untrained eye. She appeared in front of the droid and struck at it before vanishing and appearing behind it. A blast of canon fire erupted the ground where she should have been but only a clone remained in her place as she continued to dance around it faster than it could follow.

She appeared in front of it in midair and stabbed the katana upwards, burying the katana through its head while planting her feet on its chest. Before it could react she unleashed another barrage of bullets from the hilt of her katana but to no avail and she was forced to kick off of it. She flipped through the air and landed just next to Jaune. She had managed to perform all of this in the time it took him to reach her. He wasn't exactly sure she needed his help after all. Still, he had to try. Especially since the Spider Droid started merging all its cannons into one gigantic one.

That didn't look good.

It fired a massive beam just a second later and Blake took off running in the other direction. Jaune stepped forward and held his shield up. The laser struck his shield and he grit his teeth in agony as the force of the blow pushed him backwards and the waves of heat from it scorched his eyes and hands. The attack ended just as he began to become overwhelmed, allowing him to let out a sigh of relief until the Spider Droid charged him. Oh man...what was he supposed to do against this thing up close? Blake hadn't even been able to scratch it.

Pulse.

A wave of red crossed his vision.

What was that?

He had no idea but the droid had just leapt into the air and was flying right towards him. His arm reacted automatically and he swung his sword in a horizontal arc. His sword struck the droid and the most incredible thing he had ever witnessed happened.

The Spider Droid began to disintegrate into wilting rose petals that were scattered into the wind. In only a moment there wasn't even a trace it had ever been there at all. The Hell...was that all about? Was he secretly some superhero from a comic book? That sounded pretty awesome.

What did Blake think of it? Now that he thought about it, where had she gone? He turned around to see her standing with her back turned just on the other side of the gap. Did she miss what he had just done? That was kind of typical, it seemed no one was ever around when he did something cool.

Oh well. They were safe now and he could finally talk to Blake again. He could finally get things straightened out. He jogged over to where she was and as he approached she slowly turned around, her eyes staring at the ground.

Was she feeling okay? He stopped just short of the gap between cars and looked at her in concern. What was she thinking right now? Why did she look so...sad? She should be happy right now, shouldn't she? They were together again. They finally just had time to talk.

Her eyes rose from the ground and met his. The expression in them was unreadable but whatever it was he realised it was absolute. She had decided something at just that moment and there was nothing he could do to change her mind.

"Goodbye."

That was all she said. That one word. Yet it carried so much weight and was filled with such melancholy it might as well have been a whole novel. There was an entire history leading up to that one small expression and yet he couldn't understand it.

Instead he could only think one thing: why?

Why was she telling him goodbye?

Before he could ask she pulled Gambol Shroud off her back and cut the drawbar. Her car detached and the train continued to carry him away as hers began to slow down; separating the two of them from one another.

What...was happening right now?

Had he done something wrong?

Did she hate him now?

Was it because he was a human? Because he was useless? Because he was idiot? What had he done? He had so many questions but he was unable to ask any of them. He opened his mouth and attempted to yell at her shrinking figure but only a hoarse cough worked its way out. His lips were chapped and his throat felt like it hadn't felt water in years.

He didn't...he didn't want to lose Blake.

She was his best friend.

She was the only stable thing he could remember.

Even when he forgot his own name he remembered her.

He loved her.

He...loved her?

As that realisation hit him he collapsed to his knees while his sword and shield clattered loudly on the ground beside him.

Now that he thought about it, was it really so crazy? Of course he loved her. He had only known her a couple weeks now but that didn't matter. When he had been feeling dejected about himself it had been her that had come to comfort him. When he had lured off the Chimera so the others could escape it had been her that had come to his aide. When he had fallen and everyone else had left him for dead she had come looking for him. Putting it like that it probably would've been odd if he hadn't fallen in love with her. It didn't matter though. She wasn't looking for a relationship and she had much more important goals that kept her from looking for one.

And now she was leaving him and he had no idea why.

He didn't...he couldn't let it end like this.

Yet there was nothing he could do to stop it. As Blake continued to shrink away red crept in around the rest of his vision until her black silhouette was the only other thing visible.

Then the whole world went black.

Moments later and his eyes shot open.

He bolted upright gasping for breath. Sweat stained his forehead and drenched Ren's clothes. His vision blurred and it took him a moment to realise he was back in Blake's room. Everything...everything had been a dream; some twisted combination of everyone's memories.

"Jaune?" Blake asked in panic and he felt a hand touch his back. "Jaune, are you okay?"

Tears crept into the side of his vision as he heard her voice. She hadn't abandoned him. She didn't hate him. That had been...that had been something that had happened in her past. It had been something she had done to someone else. It hadn't been him. He wanted to grab the hand that was placed on his back and just hold it. He wanted so badly to spin around and embrace her in a hug; to just never let her go again. The thought of losing her...it hurt so much he would rather die than experience that again. He probably might have done one of these things too if his gut hadn't chosen that moment to violently twist in pain. A familiar burning filled his throat moments later and he immediately knew what was coming next

"T-trashcan." Jaune gasped as he stumbled forward and collapsed to his hands and knees. He wretched and brought his hand to his mouth in order to keep from puking all over the floor. His head pulsed violently and each pulse felt like it was going to cause his brain to explode.

He found the bucket and crawled to it. His hands grabbed it just in time and he emptied the contents of his stomach into it with a horrid gagging sound. His throat convulsed and burned as the bile flowed through him and exited his mouth.

"Jaune!" Even Blake's beautiful voice sounded like nails on chalkboard to his ears and he cringed while trying not to shudder violently. He held a hand up in a vain attempt to keep her away. He didn't want to get any of this horrible smelling puke on her.

Despite his best efforts another pained groan escaped his lips and he collapsed forward and nearly tipped the bucket over. Blake's hands wrapped around his arms and pulled him up just enough to keep his face off her floor. A small string of drool slipped from his mouth as the movement caused his eyes to blur once more out of focus and another terrible pulse to rock his brain.

"S-scroll." It hurt his throat to talk and his voice came out hoarse. He desperately needed water. There was something much more important he had to do first.

"What?" Blake leaned towards him in order to hear better and her black hair fell across his back and hung over the edge of his vision.

"I need your scroll." Jaune repeated with as much determination he could muster which wasn't a whole bunch.

"Jaune, you need medicine and maybe medical attention. At least let me run and get some wate-"

"Now!" Jaune slammed his fist into the ground and Blake jumped backwards at his unexpected shout. She hesitated for only another half a second before she ran to her desk and grabbed what he asked for.

She placed it in front of his vision and he immediately unlocked it and accessed the calling feature before pausing. What was...what was the number he was supposed to call? He knew who he wanted to call but he couldn't for the life of him remember her number.

How could he have forgotten it? He used to call her all the time. He racked his brain but it just wouldn't come to him. He needed to remember. He absolutely needed to talk to her. He had to hear her voice. He had to verify his own memories.

His hand reached forward and pressed the first number. Once he had done that the rest of it flowed naturally and he was punching numbers without even processing what they were.

Just after he finished punching them in her scroll began calling out. Please, please be the right number.

"H-hello?" A incredibly exhausted sounding voice answered after just a couple rings. He let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he had been holding as tears crept into the corners of his eyes. It was her. She had answered. "Umm...who is this? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Right, he probably sounded like some kind of creep just breathing into the scroll without saying anything.

"Joan, it's me." His voice was still hoarse and he feared for a second it might be unrecognisable even to his twin sister.

"Jaune?" He let out a small breath of air that was supposed to be a laugh at her confused tone. "It's Jaune, right?"

"How're you doing, Sis?" Just a small amount of joy crept into his voice upon hearing his sister again. It felt like it had been years since they talked.

"I'm fine, you sound like Hell though. Is Beacon really that rough? I expected to hear from you much sooner. I was so worried about you." Her voice was laced with concern and care but right now he had to ignore it. He needed to hear something else right now.

"Mom...is mom alive?" He asked with a little too much fear leaking into his voice.

"..." Awkward silence was his response and he feared for a second the connection had been cut.

"Joan?" He called in concern after the silence continued for several full seconds.

"Of course she's alive. Why would you think she had died?" Oh thank goodness. Once more relief washed over him and he slipped down to his elbows and he touched his forehead gently against the carpeted floor. "Did Ciel say something? You should know not to buy too seriously into anything she says. She was probably trying to trick you into coming back."

Ciel? Who was Ciel again? The name was familiar but...a flash of blue hair. That's right, Ciel was one of his sisters! The only two he could remember though...were Joan and Violet. Just how many sisters did he have?

He lifted his head off the ground. "Joan...how many of us are there?"

"Us? Who is us? You're acting really weird, Jaune. Are you sick?"

"How many siblings do we have? Aside from the two of us, how many are there?" He asked a little more forcefully than he meant to.

Blake leaned over him and placed a hand on his back. "Jaune, calm down. It'll be okay."

"Who's that? Are you with a girl? This early in the morning?" Despite some of the concern still present in her voice there was also a tinge of excitement now.

Blake leaned towards the scroll and spoke calmly into it. "I'm Blake Belladonna, Jaune's partner. It's nice to meet you."

"Partner? Partner as in-"

"Official training Partner. We were paired together during initiation."

"Oh...that's boring." This conversation was all well and great but his questions weren't being answered.

Blake clenched his bicep a little more tightly to keep him from talking before speaking once more. "I didn't believe Jaune when he told me he grew up with so many siblings and he said he could prove it by calling you." She lied easily enough and Jaune had to admit he was grateful for it. His mind was still too fried to properly form thoughts but thankfully Blake seemed to have it together still. Not that she ever didn't.

"Ah ha! I get it now! Well Miss Blake you better believe it when I say there is eight of us." Joan started talking quite a bit more animatedly. "Jaune's the only boy though so I apologise in advance if he seems a little effeminate."

Blake smirked at Jaune and he blushed lightly while averting his eyes away from her. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Now, it's not that I don't mind talking to you Miss Blake, but was this call really so important that you had to do it at five in the morning?" Blake and Jaune shared a confused look before checking the time on her scroll. It was nearly noon where they were.

"Sorry, different timezones." Blake mumbled quickly in sympathy. They knew how rough it was having your sleep interrupted.

"Timezone? Aren't you at Beacon?" Oh right, she had no idea about anything he had been up to the past couple weeks.

"Umm...about that-" Jaune shifted his gaze to Blake awkwardly but she could only shrug helplessly. "-I kinda just might've passed a special test and got shipped off into the middle of the Vytal Badlands."

"..."

Several moments of silence.

"...You what?"

"Yeah, turns out I'm some sort of prodigy or something...or I just have really dumb luck. Probably the latter."

"Jaune...you have no training! The badlands!? Isn't that like the middle of Grimm territory!? You'll get killed! Oh...oops." Inadvertently she had let slip his secret that he had no experience before applying to Beacon.

"It's cool. Blake knows." Jaune shrugged it off and he heard her give a sigh of relief. "And I wasn't exactly given much choice. I didn't want to come out here much either. Things just kind of...happened."

"Just...be careful. It's been weird since you left. Autumn and Ciel nearly hijacked a bullhead just to fly out there to bring you back. If Violet hadn't knocked some sense into them they really might've done it."

"Hmm…" Jaune acknowledged it half-heartedly as he thought about how to ask his next question. If his throat wasn't already dry and hoarse it undoubtedly would have been now. "...how's Dad taking it?"

"...I don't think he's surprised." Joan's tone conveyed just as much awkwardness about it as Jaune felt just asking. "He won't really talk about it and we all just kind of try and steer clear of the subject around him."

"Ah." He wasn't sure what else he was supposed to say. Why did he even bother asking? He didn't know and his head hurt too much to think about it. At least for now he had confirmed a couple things about himself. His mother was alive and he had seven sisters. How could he have possibly forgotten that? Just what was happening to him?

"Thanks Joan. I gotta get going now. So...I'll talk to you later, okay?" He stared at the scroll screen as if he was looking at her. He missed her so much right now. He had forgotten that too until hearing her voice.

"Yeah. Talk to you later. I love you, Bro. Bye Miss Blake!"

"Good bye." Blake said simply.

"I love you too, Sis." He ended the call immediately after saying those words and continued to sit there on his knees and elbows. He was afraid too much movement would cause him to throw-up again although it was likely mostly behind him at this point.

"..." He could feel Blake hovering over him gently. It was obvious she wanted to say something but clearly didn't know what there was to say. How could she? She had just witnessed him have a complete and total meltdown. He had forgotten such important things and she had been the one to help bail him out. How lame must he look right now?

Damn, why was it always in front of her that he looked so uncool? Couldn't he just one time show her his more awesome side? He supposed that was probably asking for too much. Why would he ever be capable of showing his cool side to the girl he loved?

Oh man.

He loved her.

No, don't think about it. Just try not to think about it. Don't think about the fact that he was currently alone in a confined room with the girl he loved while she was wearing only a small, sexy yukata.

Shit.

How was he supposed to even look at her like this?

Before he could think on it too much more he was interrupted by someone knocking on Blake's door. He froze up in fear. This couldn't be good. What if they saw the two of them in here together? Would they assume something? Maybe he should hide?

"Blake, it's Weiss. We need to talk." Oh no. This was the worst possible person that could catch him in here. She would have a freak-out just imagining the debauchery of the situation. He turned and began to scurry for the bed.

"...What are you doing?" Blake asked him oddly. He turned back to see her giving him one of the most perplexed look she was capable of making.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to hide." He stated matter-of-factly.

"Why?" She asked incredulously while placing a hand on her hip.

"Umm...so Weiss doesn't think anything incriminating about us?" Her confusion threw him off so much he was beginning to doubt his own logic. Wasn't this the most natural course of action?

Blake let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "We simply have to explain to her the situation. Your scroll broke and you needed a place to sleep. You're my partner. Hiding is only going to make us look suspicious and did you forget that you puked in my trashcan? It reeks in here now. She would've known something was up."

"...Huh." Those were all really good points. Thank goodness one of them was level headed. Probably yet another reason why he liked her so much...moving on from that topic already.

"Besides, it's Weiss. I'm sure she'll understand without making a big stink out of it." Blake spoke with assurance which only compounded his confusion. He knew they bonded a little last night thanks to their memories but hadn't really thought it had been that much.

"Blake, maybe you should-" He reached his hand up to stop her but she was already walking to the door while retying the bow on her head haphazardly. Before he could say anything more she opened it.

Weiss was standing there tapping her heel on the floor impatiently until she took in the sight in front of her. Jaune was just next to Blake's bed on all fours, covered in sweat and wearing Ren's clothes. Blake's yukata hung loosely around her frame and left very little to the imagination and did nothing to hide her long, slender legs.

Her nose twitched as the smell of his vomit undoubtedly wafted out into the hallway and her face contorted in a strange mixture of violent anger and wretched disgust.

And here it came.

"What in the name of all things decent is going on in here!?"

* * *

 **AN:**...I probably could've kept going but I really couldn't resist the urge to end the chapter there.

So both a lot of nothing and yet a lot of something happened this chapter it feels like to me. On the one hand, I really didn't manage to get to Weiss and Ruby's reactions to Shirou's message from last time. On the other hand, Jaune just had a big revelation. Only took me more than 150k words for one of them to finally figure it out. Now let the awkwardness commence!

I also introduced one of his sisters and named a few others. I've got ideas for them all more or less down but how much I'll really explore that in this story is yet to be seen. I would like to include an arc with them all and I already have the idea how, but that's a ways off yet. Gotta worry about the next chapter and the next arc first.

Had a really hard time coming up with the dream sequence. I wanted it to be distorted and kinda quick paced but couldn't decide on what to do for all their memories. Ended up deciding to run him through parts of their trailers and overall I'm pretty happy with the results of it. Guess I'll find out if y'all are too.

Next time, the team discusses the contents of Shirou's message.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 18 - Message_

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

* * *

Ruby was having a less than stellar morning.

When she had fallen asleep last night she clearly remembered being next to her friend and leader, Jaune, who incidentally was safe and sound despite her having thought otherwise for a majority of the night.

When she woke up not only was he gone but she was instead being suffocated by her sister who had somehow gotten her into her room and had wrapped her in a crushing hug in her sleep. When she had finally managed to untangle herself from her she had grabbed her scroll and seen a pending message. At first she ignored it to call her leader and make sure he was okay only for it to go straight to voicemail.

It was only then that she remembered that she had cut his scroll in half with Crescent Rose in order to confuse Shirou Schnee. It had paid off perfectly but now she couldn't call and check on him to make sure that he was okay and that was a little frustrating. She was going to go to his room and see him but decided to play the message first. Upon hearing Shirou's voice come from the scroll she nearly chucked it across the room on impulse but somehow managed to hang onto it and listen through his crazy rambling. It was only when Jaune's section began that she slumped to the floor and stared at it with wide-eyed shock.

Now here she currently was, still listening to the message while her sister lay in the bed, wide awake, listening in on it as well.

"I suddenly knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a Hunter. I didn't care how scary it was. I didn't care that it would lead to my death. I realised right then that if my death could allow someone to continue to survive and make that expression then I would gladly give my life. Now here I am. Ready to die if it means I can protect someone. That is why I'll never take your offer. That's what makes you and me so different." Jaune finally finished telling his part story and the recording clicked off.

"And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed his little tale! I personally found it a little dull but like I said, fair is fair. He saw yours so I decided to let you listen to a little of his. Now I do hope you all enjoy your day off! You've most certainly earned it." He sounded sarcastic right up to the end but Ruby had already quit listening to him.

Just what did Shirou mean by the things he said? Why had he let them hear that message at all? Just what was he trying to say to them and why was he being so cryptic about it? She wanted to ask Jaune directly...she needed to ask him directly. She was also still worried about the way he had been acting last night. Linking to them had put him in great pain and it was apparent even to her that he hadn't fully recovered from it. She just wanted to know he was okay.

She jumped to her feet and began to run for the door when Yang called after her. "What do you think you're going to say to him?"

She of course didn't have an answer for that question. Yet she had made up her mind to go see him and nothing was going to keep her from doing just that.

"What in the name of all things decent is going on in here?!"

She would like to amend that last thought: Nothing was going to keep her from seeing Jaune _except_ the enraged voice of her partner.

Maybe she should just go back inside the room and hide until she calmed down? Something had happened to make her angry and she had no desire to become any part of that. Unfortunately for her, her sister had other plans as she sprung off the bed and pushed Ruby out into the hallway. "Now this I've got to see." Her voice was brimming with excitement at the prospect of finding the latest dirt on whoever it was on the wrong end of Weiss' temper.

Ruby was helpless as she was dragged forward and towards the room that Weiss was taking an appalled step away from. Despite her reluctance she couldn't help but be the slightest bit curious as to what had Weiss so worked up already. So when they finally reached the room she glanced perhaps a little too eagerly into the room.

"Oh. My. God." Whatever it was Ruby was looking at apparently her sister found it equal parts surprising and amusing. She really didn't understand all the commotion herself. There was a bit of a funky smell coming from the room but that hardly warranted everyone's extreme reactions. Otherwise, it was just Blake standing at the foot of her door in the yukata she always wore when sleeping and Jaune, who was for some odd reason wearing Ren's clothes. Certainly the whole thing was odd but once again, she didn't see why they were both making such a big deal out of it.

Whatever it was they thought it was the two of them were doing alone in a room together it apparently embarrassed Jaune and Blake greatly as deep blushes coloured both their faces and Blake attempted to form some line of defence. "Y-you two need to grow up! This isn't-"

"It looks to me like you two grew up just last night by the looks of things. Congratulations on stepping into adulthood by the way." Yang immediately cut Blake off and gave her a huge, suggestive wink. For some odd reason she really appeared to be enjoying whatever it was that was happening right now.

"I told you this looked really incriminating!" Jaune shouted from the back as Blake turned to glare at him. He shrunk back in fear and she turned back to the three of them.

"Nothing of the sort that you're imagining happened. Jaune's scroll was broken and he needed a place to sleep." Blake spoke lowly, quickly, and Ruby could almost swear she heard her hiss quietly between every word.

"Then why didn't he just spend the night with Lie Ren?! He clearly borrowed his clothes! Do you have any idea the sort of rumours that will spread if this gets out? I will not be on the same team as a couple of known degenerates!" Weiss had found her voice again and once more stalked forward and squeezed herself into the doorframe next to Ruby and her sister. It was starting to get uncomfortable here for the younger girl as she was being pressed on from three different sides now.

"Tha-that's because…" Blake's eyes widened as she struggled to come up with a reason that was likely to satisfy a very angry Weiss while at the same time quell Yang's rabid curiosity. Ruby only knew this was the cause of her stutter because she had been placed several times in this situation, pinned between the two of them. She loved them both but sometimes it was a curse having one for a partner and the other for a sister. It made it almost impossible to do anything without being scrutinised one way or the other.

As Blake continued to flounder for a reason Ruby decided to finally interrupt and figure out just what was going on. "What...exactly did the two of them do wrong?" She asked innocently enough as she tilted her head up to Yang and Weiss who both finally seemed to realise that she was actually trapped between the two of them. Simultaneously their eyes locked on one another in panic before looking back to her and to give one of the most awkward smiles they were capable of.

"Don't worry your cute little head about it, Rubes."

"All you need to know is we're teamed with a couple of libertines."

Just like that they blew her off and she puffed her cheeks out as she pouted at the two of them. Why did they always treat her like such a kid? It just wasn't fair! Although she did have to admit she had no idea what a libertine was. She turned her head back to Jaune, hoping he might tell her but froze when she saw him curling into a ball in the corner, gripping his head while clearly trying to wave away the signs of agony he was displaying.

Something was...something was hurting him. "Jaune!" She vanished in a flurry of rose petals and appeared next to his side not even half-a-second later, wrapping her arms around him and helping him up to a sitting position. His head rolled over and fell on her shoulder and he made a small moan of pain as she cradled him gently. This was almost exactly like last night when he had linked with her. Was something happening because of them? It hurt to think that she was possibly the cause of his pain.

"What's happening to him?" Weiss' anger was replaced with worry as she ran into the room and crouched down in front of him. It still surprised Ruby that Weiss was capable of showing such concern for their blonde leader, especially considering how much she used to despise him when their team had first formed. It just went to show how good Jaune was at getting people to believe in and trust him...even if he didn't understand it himself.

"Maybe we should bring him to the infirmary?" Yang pointed down the hall and started to take a step away from the door but with a tired sigh and a stretch of the arm, Blake yanked her inside and slid the door shut behind her. "Wh-"

"You might as well stick around now that you're here. I'm guessing since you came with Ruby you heard the message too." Blake appeared very tired but not the least bit concerned about Jaune's current condition. That meant he was going to be okay, right? Blake worried about him more than anyone so if she could be calm in this situation than maybe there really wasn't anything to be worried about.

"Don't mind me, I'm fine." Jaune lifted himself off Ruby's shoulder and tried to focus his eyes on the girls in front of him but it clearly proved difficult for him to do so. "Just a little out of it. I'm a bad morning person."

Blake walked around the side and plopped herself down on the bed. "Drop the act, Jaune. You're not going to fool them. You look like Hell and you puked in my trashcan."

"So that's what that smell is." Yang snapped her fingers in realisation. "I just assumed it was-" Her voice hitched as her lilac eye's met Ruby's silver ones. "...nevermind."

"Seriously, Xiao Long, do you have any tact?" Weiss glared at her and she could only shrug guiltily in response.

"Let's just get to the reason you three are here to begin with. These rooms are too cramped for the five of us." Blake grumbled as she began tapping at her scroll.

"Why are we all here again?" Jaune asked in confusion as he looked them all in the eyes and was met with varying degrees of anxiety. "...I'm not going to like this conversation, am I?"

"No more than we liked receiving this last night." Blake said through tight-lips as she found the file and hit the play button.

"Greetings Team AWBR minus Mr Arc!" Shirou's voice came through the speaker on Blake's scroll and he recoiled lightly in shock. As the message continued to play though his face settled into an expression Ruby wasn't capable of placing. His eyes had hardened and his mouth had twisted in some sort of grimace while he listened intently. It was almost like he was hanging off of every word that left his own mouth from the night before and trying to memorise them. When the message finally ended everyone turned to look at him but his expression didn't change at all and he continued to stare forward at Blake's scroll. Several seconds went by as they all waited for him to give them some kind of response to what he had just heard but his mind looked like it had gone far away.

Ruby opened her mouth and closed it. There were so many things she wanted to ask him right now but she didn't know which one was worth asking most. Jaune had his reasonings for coming to Beacon...they all did. If he hadn't wanted to tell them she wouldn't blame him for that. She didn't like talking about her mother and it was obviously painful for him to talk about his father. Why then, had he told Shirou Schnee of all people? Why did they find out this way? What was Shirou trying to prove by sharing this information with all of them?

"What...did he mean when he said he was 'evening the playing field' by sending that message to us?" Ruby asked hesitantly and Jaune finally seemed to return to reality as he turned to look at her. Then he looked over to Weiss who continued to give him an even stare. Yang merely remained propped against the door and he skipped over making eye-contact with her entirely and looked pleadingly at Blake instead.

She merely shrugged at him and and gave an apologetic smile. "You knew we had to talk about this eventually. They...deserve to know."

Jaune let out a long tired sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, you're right. You're always right." He drummed his fingers against his knee as he shifted so he was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"Just what is going on?" Weiss asked impatiently as she uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips.

"Give him a minute." Ruby snapped as she tightened her grip around Jaune's arm. Whatever it was it was without a doubt hard for him to talk about. Couldn't Weiss see that? She wouldn't want someone pressing her about her mother if she didn't want to talk about it, which she usually didn't.

"It's okay, Ruby." Jaune patted her hand lightly and gave her a thankful smile. "I should've told you this last night anyways...I just wasn't sure how. Shirou may be a bastard but at least he's giving me the push I need to be honest with you guys." Her silver eyes locked with his blue eyes and she could see how terrified he was to have to talk about this. She wanted to tell him so badly that he didn't have to say anything. She wanted him to know that she didn't care, but she was just too worried about what was hurting him. She wanted to be able to help him too, like he would be willing to do for them.

So she just nodded at him and returned his smile with a small one of her own.

"I...know about your mother, Ruby." She recoiled in shock when he said that. What was he talking about? Before she could ask he turned to Weiss. "I know about your scar, Weiss. I know what the White Fang tried to do to you. I know so many things about the two of you I practically know the two of you as well as I know myself."

"W-what?" Weiss' hands slid off her hips and her eyes darted around in confusion. Ruby felt just as lost as she did. What Jaune was saying didn't make any sense.

"His Semblance." Blake continued quietly for him, her eyes not making contact with any of them. "When he linked with us he took our memories. All of them."

Several moments of silence followed until Weiss whirled angrily upon Blake. "You knew about this?!" She shrieked at her.

"She didn't find out until after everything was over." Jaune raised a hand defensively in an attempt to calm Weiss down but instead she whirled her attention back on him. "The reason I went into those fits of pain when I linked last night, the reason I threw up this morning, it's just my body trying to get used to your memories. I'm just acclimating to them is all."

"Your Semblance is hurting you?" Ruby's voice cracked as panic settled in. She didn't fully understand what they meant yet by him having all her memories but if they were hurting him than he had to cut it off. Semblances were supposed to be beneficial to you. They weren't supposed to cause you pain. "Can you stop it?"

He shook his head sadly. "It's too late. The memories are already there. I just have to ride it out. I think the worst of it is behind me though, my dreams really helped sort them. I feel way better now." He gave them all a reassuring grin but Weiss looked less than pleased.

"Oh...I'm _so_ glad you're feeling better!" She snapped sarcastically. "What about us?! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is having your most private moments exposed completely?"

"Hey, don't talk to him like that!" Blake inched forward on her bed and glared directly into Weiss' ice-cold eyes. "In case you forgot, his Semblance is what saved our lives last night! We would've died if he hadn't linked with the three of us!"

"So what? I'm supposed to just forgive and forget that he has my most precious memories just jumbled away inside his head?" Weiss waved her hand dramatically at him. "I don't think so! Not unless he forgets first!"

"It's not as simple as just forgetting." Even Jaune's voice started to raise as he fought the urge to climb to his feet. "You think I wanted to know all these things? You think I wanted to nearly have my brain destroyed by a flood of my closest friends' memories? I didn't! I didn't ask to have this stupid memory Semblance!"

"You can't really mean that." Ruby tugged on Jaune's arm desperately. "Your Semblance is an embodiment of who you are. Hating your Semblance is like hating yourself."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I do hate myself?!" Jaune shouted before immediately clamping his mouth shut. His eyes widened in horror and he looked quickly between everyone as if trying to convince himself that he did not just say what he thought he had. No matter where he looked though Ruby knew they were giving the same disbelieving look she was. "That...uh...that came out wrong." He spoke much more quietly now.

"I don't think there was any way that could've come out right." Yang spoke up for the first time and they all shifted to look at her awkwardly. Even if she was Ruby's sister she was essentially looking in on their team as they tore themselves apart. She let out a sigh and pushed off the door and walked into the middle of the room. "Look, I think you all need to take a breath and calm down. There's clearly a lot going on here but if you let it tear you guys apart you're doing exactly what that bastard that started all this wanted." Maybe she was on to something, Ruby realised. Was this his idea of getting revenge on them for beating him at his own game last night?

"Now let's just start off where we ended. Ruby...you have something to say to Jaune, right?" The younger girl's eyes widened in shock at being called out by her sister so quickly; she was right of course, but it always surprised her when her sister showed that intuitive side of her's...no matter how many times she had done it now.

"Jaune…" She spoke timidly and she could've sworn she saw his eyes flick to her direction for half-a-second. "...we all care about you. You must have seen that in our memories, right? So please, don't say something painful like 'you hate yourself.' We need you."

He sighed and scratched the back of his head awkwardly before reaching over and resting that hand on the top of her head. "Sorry Ruby." He turned to look at her and jostled her hair affectionately. "I didn't mean it. I just...got a little worked up is all." He gave her his most reassuring smile but Ruby wasn't quite convinced just yet. Still, she didn't want to press the issue. Blake was better at handling things like that anyway, especially when it came to Jaune. So she turned to the older girl and gave her a pleading look to which she only nodded knowingly. She would talk to him. Ruby felt better just knowing that.

"Great! Now that this is settled we can move on." Yang clapped her hands together once and the noise reverberated across the small room, causing the rest of them to jump in shock. "So if I'm understanding this correctly, and I'm going to borrow some of those fancy words you guys were using earlier to say this, Jaune assimilated all of your past memories into himself already. They're there now and there is no undoing it, am I right?" Jaune gave a small nod. "Okay then, so knowing that, you girls just kinda got live with it, capiche?" She turned to look at Blake for her response first.

She merely shrugged her shoulders. "Jaune and I discussed this last night already and while I wasn't comfortable with it either I've already come to terms. I trust him."

"Fantastic, now Rubes?" Yang spun to her.

If she was being honest...it was embarrassing to think that Jaune had every memory she ever had. Did that mean he had seen her when she was changing and getting scolded for doing something wrong? Did he see her cry herself to sleep after losing her mother? It was kind of terrifying to think that he knew all of those things just as well as she did. But at the same time...what Blake said made sense. It was just Jaune. He would never do anything to hurt her intentionally and he would never use that information against her...so maybe it wasn't so bad? She wasn't really sure, but for now that was going to have to be enough.

So she nodded.

Yang gave her a proud smile before looking to the person least likely to just let everything go like absolutely nothing had happened. "That just leaves you Ice Queen."

Weiss grimaced at yet another one of her hated nicknames she had unwillingly been stuck with. She slowly focused her eyes back on Jaune and glared at him fiercely, almost willing him to forget through willpower alone. Ruby didn't exactly blame her for feeling the way she did but certainly even she could understand that Jaune hadn't done any of it on purpose. At least, Ruby hoped she could understand that. Just as she was beginning to lose hope Weiss let out a defeated sigh. "Fine!" She turned her head away from them as she relented. "I don't like it but short of beating his head until he forgets I don't see much of an option other than to live with it."

"Now we're talking!" Yang whooped as she threw her hands in the air in victory.

"However, we're not done just yet, we still need to discuss whether or not we should continue using his Semblance." Weiss cut Yang's celebration short as she appeared to regain her commanding disposition.

"What're you talking about?" Jaune asked incredulously. "Of course we're going to use it. Why wouldn't we?" He looked at them all with a mix of absolute confusion and small amounts of betrayal.

"It hurts you Jaune...a lot." Ruby spoke quietly. If there was potential for him to be thrown into as much pain as before or worse she would rather they never used it, no matter how beneficial it was. Sure, she enjoyed the immense feeling of power she got from having so much Aura and it was incredibly comforting to be mentally linked to your comrades in the middle of battle but she just didn't see how it could be worth it.

"I already have your memories though! Give me another day and I guarantee you the pain will go away. Then we can link up and I won't have any backlash at all." He swept the room with his eyes, desperate to find someone that agreed with him. For whatever reason, he was incredibly set on using his new-found powers.

"...The headaches are the only side-effect?" Blake asked cautiously as she eyed him up and down. "You're not experiencing anything else?"

"Not at all." He responded before she had even finished asking the question and shook his head vigorously to emphasise his point. Blake...looked uncertain about his response at best. Why would Jaune lie though? He certainly wouldn't put his health at risk just so he could continue using his Semblance, would he? Ruby certainly hoped not.

"I just have one condition if we agree to do this and you absolutely must agree to this." Weiss clicked her heel on the carpet and he turned back to her expectantly.

"Name it."

Weiss looked slightly taken aback by the strong resolution conveyed in his voice but she quickly regained her composure. "You agree to only link with the three of us from now on. While it is a possibility you won't suffer as badly from linking to us again we can only imagine what will happen to you if you try to add anyone new. So let's...just play it safe." Despite how stern she tried to sound her concern for him was clearly evident in her voice.

Jaune grimaced but after several seconds he nodded his head slowly. "I suppose that's fair. I don't exactly want to go through the linking process with someone new again anyways."

"For someone that supposedly hates his Semblance you sure seem really gung-ho about using it." Yang placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head curiously.

Jaune merely shrugged. "It's still _my_ Semblance. It would be a waste not to use it." Ruby wasn't really sure about that. She bit her lip as she considered if she should press the issue. She wanted to but she wasn't sure how without trampling on Jaune's feelings. He clearly really wanted to be able to use his Semblance. Before she could think more on it her sister stooped down in front of them and wrapped her arms around both her and Jaune's necks, effectively trapping them in a headlock.

"See how easy that was guys? Now you can all be one big happy family again." She laughed as she jostled their heads roughly.

"Sis, knock it off!" Surprisingly, those words came from Jaune's mouth and not Ruby's. Perhaps because it was such a shock but Yang stopped almost immediately and looked at him as if he had just grown a second head. Ruby had to admit though, it was really odd. Why would Jaune call Yang that? Maybe it was just something his own sister had used to do to him a lot growing up? That certainly seemed to make sense at least.

With that thought alone she dismissed the notion but Yang apparently had other ideas as a teasing grin spread mischievously across her face. "Oh, since when did you become my little bro, huh? Did Ruby and you get hitched while I wasn't looking? That's just sooo cute! I knew something was up when she was sleeping on your shoulder on the ride over!"

"Yang!" Ruby blushed heavily as she tried and failed to wiggle herself free from her sister's grip. She did not think of Jaune that way! She just happened to be really comfortable with him was all! It wasn't her fault his arm was so comfortable to cling to and for some reason naturally made her really sleepy.

"You realise-" Weiss spoke up dryly. "-that if Jaune and Ruby got married then we caught him committing infidelity, right?" Uh oh. Yang's eyes switched from lilac to red the moment those words left her mouth and if they didn't say something quick she might really murder Jaune. The problem was, she wasn't even sure why what Weiss had said had even set Yang off to begin with. That made it kind of difficult for her to diffuse the situation but seeing as Jaune's life was possibly in peril she was going to have to think quick and try something.

By some miracle it was at that moment someone chose to bang loudly on their door. Yang's teammate, Nora, yelled loudly from the other side excitedly. "Jauney! I have a gift for you!"

"She is _not_ coming in here too." Blake stated crossly as she glared at Yang.

"What? I didn't invite her. Sounds like she's here for your fearless leader." Yang held up her hands defensively and released Jaune in the process. He quickly stumbled to his feet and walked towards the door, probably just in attempt to flee from Yang if anything.

It slid open to reveal the hyperactive girl bouncing around on the balls of her feet as she not so patiently waited with her hands hidden behind her back. She let out a loud gasp as her mouth formed a big 'O' when she saw inside the room. "You guys are having a party in here and you didn't invite me?!"

"Trust me Queen of the Castle, this was one party you did not want to be a part of. These guys are way too uptight." Yang pushed her way past Jaune and patted Nora once on the shoulder before walking back to her room. "Talk to y'all later!" Ruby thought about chasing after her sister but she was also really curious as to what Nora had brought for Jaune so instead she jogged over to his side so she could peek over his shoulder.

"You...said you had something for me?" Jaune was clearly quite curious too as he tried to peek around Nora's back to see what she was holding.

"That's right I do!" Nora skipped backwards so he couldn't see it. "You see, Ren told me about your problem and that you had to borrow his clothes, which by the way don't look very good on you, no offense, but Ren pulls it off much better, so anyways, I realised I actually was able to help you out so here I am!"

"..." Jaune stared at her for several seconds before turning blankly to look at his three teammates. They all could only shrug at him as they didn't understand her rant any more than he did. He turned back to her and scratched his cheek. "Uhh...so you're saying you brought me clothes?"

Nora nodded happily and presented the clothing which was folded in her hands. "That's right! I actually bought these for Ren but he refused to wear them which is a real shame because I think they would look pretty good on him but they shouldn't look bad on you either and you need them more than he does so I present them to you!"

"Uhh...thanks?" It came out as more of a question although Ruby wasn't really sure she could blame him for that as she stared at the odd combination of clothes Nora had thrust forward.

"The shirts...pink." She mumbled aloud as she tried to process what she was looking at. It was exactly the same shade of Nora's gloves and written across the chest of the shirt in grey lettering was the word 'Boop.' Under the shirt was a pair of camouflage cargo shorts...in other words a very odd combination.

"I know! Isn't it awesome? Green is kinda Ren's colour though so I figured I would get him some green shorts to go with it but then I started thinking what if he was trying to be stealthy and it hit me, I should get him camo!" That was all well and great but they weren't exactly in a heavily forested area. Ignoring that, what part of pink was stealthy to begin with? Even Ruby found it impossible to follow her logic. "I've got six more exact sets! One for everyday of the week! When you can finally get back into your room just let me know and I'll get them for you!"

Jaune quirked his eyebrow as he looked at her, almost exactly the same way Blake would've if she was in the exact same situation. He had gotten kind of good at doing that. "Thanks…" He repeated slowly. "...I actually think I'll go change now. Can you give Ren's clothes back to him when I'm done and extend to him my gratitude?"

"Of course Jauney! Us Beacon folk gotta look out for one another!" She gave him two big thumbs up and he nodded back while giving an awkward grin.

"Totally." He tried to sound grateful but it came out as forced, not that Nora seemed to notice. Seeing his chance, he turned his head and held the clothes up. "So I'm going to go change, I'll be back in a few."

"Wash out the bucket." Blake jumped off her bed and quickly grabbed the trashcan before shoving it rather forcefully into his hands.

"Right, sorry again about that." He recoiled from the smell emitting from the receptacle and quickly made his way towards the bathrooms.

All three of his teammates watched him anxiously while Nora hummed obviously from right next to him. Ruby wanted to talk more about him and she had no doubt the others did as well but Nora was kind of killing the mood and it would be a little rude to shoo her away. So she let out a small sigh and looked back to Blake. "Make sure he's okay?"

Blake gave a small nod to her simple request.

"He's fine." Weiss huffed as she stalked past them. "Once he gets a hold of himself it'll be back to normal. Something like a little headache isn't enough to keep that dunce down." Ruby wasn't sure if she was complimenting or insulting him.

"You should go get dressed, Ruby. Once he's ready we can all head down and get some food." Blake talked gently to her and she felt her stomach rumble at the mention of food. She gave a small blush before nodding at the suggestion and hurrying off to her room.

After everything that had happened since last night she could really go for some strawberry pancakes right now.

* * *

Jaune felt absolutely awful as he stared at himself in the mirror of the men's bathroom.

It wasn't just because of the clothes although if he was being honest they weren't exactly making him feel any better. They did fit him nicely at least which was more than Ren's clothes did. The pink shirt was comfortable and surprisingly didn't go all that poorly with the camouflage shorts. It was weird not being in his hoodie and jeans...kind of. That was actually part of the issue he was having.

It should've felt odd wearing something so unusual from what he normally did but the problem was, after merging memories with three different people, two of whom happen to wear skirts regularly, he didn't actually feel very out of place wearing a pink shirt. He wasn't going to turn into a cross-dresser was he? He really hoped not. Seriously, why didn't he have any close guy friends to link to? This whole thing would be way less weird...probably. He wouldn't know seeing as he had only linked to girls.

Girls he had just so happened to lie to.

They had asked him right to his face if he was feeling anything other than the pain and he told them it was just that. He had been given the opportunity to tell them he was forgetting things about himself and that he was confusing their memories with his own but instead he hadn't said anything at all. He...wasn't sure why he had chosen to do that. Mostly it was just because he panicked. They had been talking about not using his Semblance. He...he finally had a chance to get stronger and they were debating about forbidding him from using it. He would've said anything to sway their decision in his favour.

So he lied.

And now here he was feeling guilty about it.

Should he go back and tell them the truth? At least Blake?

…

No, maybe it was better if she didn't know. He was already keeping several secrets from her. What was one more? It was just going to cause her needless worry and the last thing he wanted was to give her another thing to worry about. If he thought about it that way, it was kind of like he was protecting her by not telling her. That was surely the right thing to do...hopefully.

Just thinking about Blake at all made him feel a little better though. Man, he really did…

...nope. Stopping there. He wasn't thinking about his unrequited love. Damn it.

He sighed as he began to wash out the trashcan. He was absolutely disgusted with himself for having lost his cool immediately after waking up. Not that it had been the only time he had done so this morning. He had slipped up and called Yang, 'Sis.' The teasing way in which she held him in that headlock had seemed familiar though and he had to admit he was missing his sisters immensely right now...maybe it had just been some odd combination of those things that had caused him to do that.

If that hadn't been bad enough than at one point he had openly admitted he hated himself.

That one had been odd.

He was...disappointed in himself most times, sure. How could he not be? Constantly surrounded by people of superior talent tended to do that to you. Still though, as down as he usually got on himself he had never once thought he wanted to be someone else. He had never thought he hated himself...until just earlier. He had legitimately said that and at that moment he had meant it. It just didn't make sense. The stress from losing his memories combined with that strange nightmare must have really been frying his nerves in order to get to him if he was even beginning to have thoughts like that. What was worse was he wasn't really sure this was going to get any better like he had assured his teammates it would.

What could he do though? It was already too late to reverse it which meant there was only one option for him now. He was going to gain control of this Semblance and he would get himself back together. The best way to do that was to find a way to talk to that girl again. She had said he needed to work on Aura manipulation. How did he do that though? He supposed he could do a little research. Lambent must have a pretty decent library seeing as it was supposedly a school.

Great, now he was sounding like Blake.

He finished washing the trashcan and walked out of the bathroom. Just as he passed into the common room a hand grabbed him by the sleeve and he nearly yelped in terror. He whirled to see Weiss of all people waiting for him. "Uhh…" He had not been expecting this. He thought they had more or less sorted everything.

"I'm going to keep this brief and if you tell anyone I said this I'll freeze you solid and let the Grimm find you." She spoke quietly and quickly, almost as if someone might be trying to listen in on them. "Understand?"

He nodded quickly.

"...If-" She hesitated for a moment. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen. I just want you to know that." It? What was this 'it' she was referring to? He tilted his head at her questioningly and she let out a tired sigh. "I didn't think I had to explain it, you dunce. Look, you shouldn't hate yourself." Oh that. Wait, why was this coming up again? She had been the one to react the least when he had said it earlier. He expected Ruby might bring it up again and was almost certain Blake would but he didn't expect Weiss to say anything to him about it ever again, let alone she would be the first one to approach him about it.

"Listen, I'm not going to give you a lecture about how wrong or immature it is to hate yourself or anything. I just…" She clicked her teeth as she balled her hands into fists and averted her eyes. "...it's hard for me to admit but I've come to accept you as our leader. You...can be surprisingly dependable from time to time. I'm still the co-leader of this team though which means you don't always have to try and handle everything by yourself." She puffed her cheeks before letting out a long breath.

"I'm getting off topic. Just if you need to talk I might...be able to relate. I kind of...know what it's like." Her eyes darted from side to side and she blushed at her confession.

He could only blink in shock. Weiss...hated herself?

"It-it's not like I feel that way all the time!" Weiss quickly waved her hands back and forth in a vain attempt to defend herself. "It's just sometimes...not that often really, just once in a very brief while...I can relate to what you're feeling." He didn't think he had ever heard her so jittery.

"Can you please say something? You're being as quiet as Blake normally is." Oh right. Man, even she was comparing him to Blake now.

"Sorry, sorry. I just wasn't expecting this. I uhh…" What was he supposed to say to her in this situation? He met her eyes and he noticed for the first time that for once she wasn't giving him her usual glare but she actually appeared...vulnerable. Of course she did, this was something she had never talked to anyone else about before. Not her father, nor her sister. Not even Ruby.

He was the first.

Even with all her memories bouncing around in his head he hadn't realised how it had been for her. He hadn't understood what she felt living in the shadow of her own last name, a feeling he was incredibly familiar with. He took a deep breath before regaining his composure. This was about her right now, not himself. "Weiss." He said as clearly as possible while being sure to look directly into her eyes.

"Y-yes?" Her eyes widened slightly in shock but she didn't turn away from his gaze.

"Thank you." That was all he knew to say. Somehow though he figured that would be enough for her. Perhaps it was because he truly understood her for what felt like the first time since they had met. He wasn't really sure. He just knew though. Weiss' own face showed blatant relief at his response and her eyes flashed briefly at his acceptance. It was odd, yet at this moment he felt like he understood Weiss more than he even understood himself.

"So long as you understand I'm offering for your sake." The harsh tone of her voice had returned as she turned on her heels and took a couple steps away. Somehow though it felt like her steps had a certain hop to them that they normally lacked. "Now let's head to the cafeteria. I'm hungry."

He smiled at her back. "Sounds good."

For some reason he had an insatiable craving for strawberry pancakes.

* * *

 **AN:** Slowly but surely the plot creeps forward.

I have pretty much nothing to talk about this chapter so short Author's Notes. Weiss and Ruby got some much needed development at least which I've been meaning to do for awhile now. When I started this story I had only really cared about the Jaune and Blake aspect despite the fact that those two are an important part of the team so I'm trying to make up for that now. This story is called Auburn after all and it takes all of them to make it such.

Next time, Penny makes her grand reappearance!

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 19 - Misunderstanding_

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

* * *

Jaune shuffled anxiously as he and the rest of his team, along with team PYRN, rode the elevator down to the cafeteria of Lambent.

"Those clothes look nice on you by the way." Pyrrha had been talking at him for several seconds now, constantly switching topics when he didn't give much reaction to whatever it was she was saying. He felt a little bad for ignoring her and he wasn't exactly doing it on purpose but he was slightly distracted at the moment and couldn't help but keep glancing at his partner out of the corner of his eye.

Blake stood on the opposite end of the elevator, the two of them having been separated immediately upon entering, her by an overly-enthusiastic Nora with whom Blake had struck an unusual friendship last night and him by Pyrrha who had wanted to talk to him about something or another. Ren had naturally taken to standing by Nora while she ranted pointlessly at the two quietest members of the team while Ruby and her sister chat with Weiss in the middle.

For a brief moment Blake turned her head away from Nora and made eye-contact with him. She gave a small smile and a quick roll-of-the-eyes before turning her attention back to Nora to entertain whatever tale it was she could possibly be weaving. It hadn't been much but that smile made Jaune's heart hurt just thinking about it as his pulse quickened and face reddened.

This was bad. This was very, very bad. He couldn't even look at her without turning to mush anymore. Just what the Hell was going on with him? It had been fine while his mind was being destroyed but now that his thoughts were at least decently put in order, as put in order as they could be for having forty-nine years' worth of memories added to his brain anyways, he had become much more conscious of her and the way he felt.

It was kind of weird actually, being in love with Blake, that is. He had literally seen her whole life flash before his eyes. He could only really remember fragments of it and if he really put his mind to it could remember full conversations but for the most part it was just jumbled fractures that didn't make sense and had sometimes been mushed together with Ruby's and Weiss' memories as well. It created a very dislocative feeling but it was still true that he had some of her most personal memories tucked away inside his head, even if he couldn't exactly recall them.

The memories from that dream he had were the most fresh and if he was being honest was the one troubling him the most. That look Blake had given right before she had cut the link connecting the train-cars; it had been one of the most painful expressions he had ever seen on her face. It hurt him just imagining it but it was ingrained in his memory and no matter what he did he just couldn't get rid of it. Add to that and even though he knew she hadn't done it to him, it had felt so real at that moment he truly believed he had lost her forever. It had been the very thought of losing her at all that forced him to realise how much he truly cared and felt for her.

"...I understand Nora had meant for them to be given to Ren?"

"Huh? What?" Jaune shook his head as he looked back to Pyrrha and realised she was still trying to get his attention from earlier. Oops. What was she talking about again? Nora was supposed to give something to Ren? Why would he know anything about that? She was their leader, he wasn't even a part of their team...unless, oh yeah! She was referring to the clothes. He felt kind of bad now, he had already adjusted so much to wearing something new he had kind of forgotten they had never been his to begin with.

"Yeah, yeah." He nodded his head vigorously as he tried to push Blake to the back of his mind. He really didn't need to be thinking about her that way right now. That would just make things way too awkward and if things got awkward with Blake he didn't know what he would do. She was the only one he truly felt like he could talk to and if he lost that he would really be out of luck. He needed to form friends he hadn't linked with and quickly. Fortunately for him, Pyrrha seemed intent on doing that for him. That was mighty nice of her, even if he didn't really understand her reasoning. "You don't think I look too goofy dressed like this, do you?" He gestured to his clothes. "It's pretty different from what I used to wear." Instead of being in a hoodie with jeans and his armour, he was now in shorts and a t-shirt. His armour was unfortunately lost, probably still back at the canyon.

Pyrrha shook her head gently. "Not at all. I'm just glad my teammate was able to help you out. She is a bit eccentric but she usually means well."

Jaune gave her a small smile as he thought about the way Nora had presented him with the clothes he was now wearing. Eccentric...that about accurately described it. "Yeah, well she really saved me. Ren's clothes...weren't exactly the most form fitting. I appreciate what they've done for me. If I can ever pay them back just let me know."

"I sure will." Pyrrha returned his smile and it was at that moment Jaune remembered the talk they had the night before while they happened to be on this very elevator.

"Did you still want to meet up once in a while to discuss team leader tactics?" He asked innocently enough as he tilted his head questioningly.

Pyrrha recoiled slightly in surprise before the small smile she once had turned into a big one. "I would very much like that, yes. Did you have a timeframe or schedule in mind?"

Jaune shrugged as he turned his head slightly. "I don't but I know someone that would."

"Wait, what do you mean-"

"Hey Weiss!" Jaune called just loud enough for his teammate to hear, interrupting Pyrrha's question.

"Hmm?" Weiss tilted her head to show Jaune she was listening but otherwise made no move.

"Pyrrha and I are talking about having leader meetings once in a while, to discuss things such as strategy and what-not. As co-leader, do you wanna join?" He didn't exactly notice it but as he asked this question Pyrrha's once enthusiastic face faltered as her chance to be alone with him flew out the window.

Weiss on the other hand appeared immediately intrigued by his proposition and shifted closer to the two of them to become a part of their conversation. "That's an excellent idea!" She placed her palms together in front of herself as she smiled widely at Pyrrha who rather forcefully returned the expression. "We would have so much to offer one another and I would be more than interested to learn how the Mistral Champion would handle certain situations. Why, if the three of us put our heads together we could become tactical legends. Our wealth of knowledge would be sought-out by many with lesser minds. When were you thinking of having these meetings?" She glanced expectantly at Pyrrha who could only continue to give her the same forced smile as she shrugged.

"I figured you would have a good suggestion for when to do something like that." Jaune allowed himself a small smile at how excited Weiss had gotten. She was a huge fan of Pyrrha's, not that she would ever openly admit it. She preferred to claim that she felt they were close to equals. He was just glad to see a small spark of happiness return to her frigid eyes. She had been giving...a somewhat strange look since their talk just outside the restroom. He much rather preferred his teammates in a chipper mood, which for Weiss was usually trickier than it was Ruby or Blake but he was glad to see his small effort had succeeded.

"Hmm…" Weiss scratched her chin for a moment as she considered the best options. "We have classes Monday to Thursday. Odds are we'll be expected to hunt Grimm actively on our days without classes which means later in the year we may even be expected to spend the full weekend out in that barbaric terrain. I think we should do it Thursday, immediately after classes. That way we can take everything we've learned from classes and apply it to our strategies and test them out on the field. We can reconvene Sunday night to see how it went. What do you say, Pyrrha?"

"Sounds grand." Pyrrha barely nodded as her eyes darted between Jaune and her.

"Awesome, I'm glad we could work that out." Jaune patted both girls on the shoulders just as the elevator came to a stop and the door opened. "Now I'm starving, let's see what we can get for food." Not that he had any idea how he was going to pay for the food. He still didn't have a scroll which also meant he had no GKP, otherwise known as Grimm Killing Points. Man, he had killed that Deathstalker too. He bet that had been worth a fair amount of points. Oh well, maybe Blake had killed enough to spare some points on his poor soul?

He and the other Beacon representatives walked into the cafeteria but they almost immediately paused as the face of every other student in Lambent turned and stared at the eight of them with wide eyes. They in turn stared back at them with confusion and a strange, awkward silence settled over the entire area as they waited for someone to say or do something.

It was unsettling really and Jaune kind of wanted to turn around and run back into the elevator. It was hard getting any kind of individual attention when he was growing up. Now it felt like sixty different sets of eyes were inexplicably glued to him while they waited for him to make some kind of move.

"...This is kinda creepy." Yang leaned forward and whispered this into his ear and he could only nod numbly in response, too afraid that any sudden movements would set a chain of events in motion that he really didn't feel like getting swept up in at the moment, or ever.

"Jaune! You're finally here man!" Unfortunately for him, Sun had other ideas as his head poked out from among the crowd and eagerly waved him over. That was all it took for the floodgates to burst and suddenly every other student was clamouring over one another as they rushed forward to greet the eight of them.

"Oh man." Jaune backpedalled immediately but ran smack into Yang who wrapped her arms around his shoulders and placed him staunchly in front of herself as a human shield. "H-hey, Yang! Let me go!" He struggled to wiggle himself free but to no avail as the remaining student body was nearly upon them. The rest of their group had also crept backwards and now they formed a small circle with their backs pressed up against one another. He wasn't sure what was more terrifying, the Grimm or all these students his age.

"Sorry, Captain Atlas. It's you or me." She didn't sound sorry at all as she said these words. Not that it mattered anymore, they were now surrounded as the students all shouted over one another.

"Jaune! We heard about how you killed that Deathstalker!"

"Is it true a Cackler ripped a hole in your stomach?"

"How did you manage to break that nutjob's scroll?"

He was bombarded by questions as everyone attempted to push past one another and got a little more than too close for comfort. What the Hell had happened to them? They had not been this excited last night, although that had probably been because they were just too relieved to have survived at all. Now though, they seemed to think he had somehow been solely responsible for their victory as they all fought for his attention. It had been uncomfortable enough last night when it was just the leaders praising him, this was just downright unbearable.

"Hey, hey, hey! Give them some room you psychos!" Sun battered his way to the front of the group and stepped forward and grabbed Jaune by the elbow. "Come on man, I got your back. Besides, there is someone you gotta meet." He pulled Jaune forward and freed him from Yang's grasp to Jaune's immediate relief.

"Thanks, Sun. I owe you." He had this guy pegged all wrong. He had just assumed Sun was only being nice to him to get close to Blake. Well, he wasn't entirely sure that still wasn't his only interest but he could forgive that if he would continue to get him out of situations like this. He really, really didn't like that much attention.

The crowd parted as Sun led Jaune past, almost forming a pathway just for them as they did and he heard his remaining teammates scurry after him before that pathway had a chance to seal shut and separate them. Just as they reached the last couple of students to make way for them, someone Jaune hadn't seen since he had fallen off that cliff was revealed: A girl with a pink bow placed atop her head.

"Penny."

Jaune stopped short as he stared at the girl that was now standing directly in front of him. Sun gave a small smirk as he stepped to the side and gave the two of them some space. The once clamouring students quieted down almost immediately as Jaune and Penny stared at one another, neither one saying a word.

If he was being honest, after everything that had happened last night, he had kind of forgotten to check back up on her and make sure she was okay and he hadn't seen her at all among the crowds when they were boarding the ships. He was glad to see that she looked fine now though and it looked like her injury was healed. He kind of wondered how that was possible way out here. Did her Aura work on healing her robot parts or was there someone here capable of repairing her? He was curious but it probably wasn't a good idea to ask seeing as he was the only one to know her secret.

He gave a small start as Penny took a small step closer to him, giving a warm smile as she did. "Salutations, Jaune." For once it wasn't her usually over exuberant tone but just a normal speaking level she greeted him with. She took another step forward and reached her hand forward, placing it right over where the hole in his shirt had been last night. He still couldn't remember the Grimm that had done that to him but if what that girl had said was true she had removed the memory to save his life so he would never remember them, which was fine with him. He would rather not recall a Grimm spearing him in the gut after all.

"You...threw away your life for me." She spoke quietly, probably so the others couldn't hear her as she talked. "Even knowing what I am you sacrificed yourself for me without hesitation."

"Join the club." Blake spoke up, her Faunus ears having likely picked up Penny's words without issue. "This idiot throws his life away for anyone without a second thought."

"You remember my partner, Blake?" Jaune hiked his thumb backwards and Penny gave a small nod as her eyes looked past him for only a second before returning to stare at him. "She's not entirely mistaken, although I do give preference to my friends. You and I are friends Penny, nothing changed that. I told you that already."

Penny's small smile became much bigger at his words and she gave a much more enthusiastic nod this time. "I am just most glad to see you alive. I now have the opportunity to repay you for saving my life."

Jaune tilted his head in confusion. "You don't have to repay me Penny, I did it because I wanted to." Penny sent a quick glance to Sun and out of the corner of his eye he could see Sun motion her to continue. Uh oh, this likely couldn't end well. Just what the heck was this guy teaching her?

"In that case, I am doing this because I want to, Jaune. I understand it is customary for a normal girl to thank a man in this fashion." She took one step closer and was now directly in front of him. Warning bells went off inside his head but it was far too late for him to react as Penny's hands wrapped around the back of his head and pulled his face forward as she leaned in to meet him halfway…

...and kissed him in front of everyone.

His brain kicked into overdrive as all his senses immediately went on high alert as it attempted to process as much information it could as quickly as possible. The very first thing he noticed...Penny's lips were surprising warm for a robot's. What was her fake flesh made of exactly? Nevermind that last thought. He had much more pressing things to worry about. For starters, all the whistles, cheers, and catcalls that were being directed his way as everyone's excitement levels immediately peaked back up. He saw several bright flashes as people undoubtedly took pictures of the two of them kissing.

Out of the corner of his eye he could also see Sun giving him a huge thumbs-up along with a big wink. He took back what he thought about him earlier, he really didn't want this guy's help with anything anymore. Did he have any idea how long it was going to take to clear up this misunderstanding? Especially to Blake...oh boy, Blake. With his senses as heightened as they were he could practically feel her bloodlust rolling off her Aura. She was not amused with this display of affection, not one bit.

Not that he could blame her. They had just talked yesterday about how pointless it was to seek out a romantic partner out here and now here he was kissing another girl. In her eyes this had to be a betrayal of some kind...or something? Damnit, he was having enough trouble looking her in the eyes as it was. It was going to be impossible for him to do after this.

Finally, Penny ended the kiss and took a step away from him. Her face was only slightly flushed while he had no doubt his was beet-red. He opened and closed his mouth as he tried and failed to form even a broken thought, seeing as anything coherent was clearly out the window. He had just received his second kiss from a girl and this one had been very, very public.

"Uhh...Penny?" He finally managed to get his mouth to work but the words felt weird as they passsed his still warm lips.

"Yes Jaune?" Penny tilted her head with all the innocence of a child as she responded to him.

"Do you have any idea what it actually means for a girl to kiss a guy...like that?" He gestured vaguely between the two of them as he asked. This was very crucial, what if Penny actually knew that as far as everyone else was concerned she just confessed to him? In public no less. Penny, she clearly had feelings and emotions but he had no idea if she understood anything about how love worked, not that he exactly had a firm grasp on it either. Could he even date a robot to begin with? Not that he wanted to, he liked Blake after all, but hypothetically, how would that even work? He had no idea and it was way too confusing trying to think about it so instead he just waited for her answer.

Penny nodded happily to his question. "Of course I do. It is the ultimate sign of gratitude between friends of the opposite gender!" He had to stop himself from smacking his own face. Damnit Sun, this was all his fault. The problem was, Penny wasn't exactly wrong either, although that kiss had been a bit extreme for just saying thank you. Of course, everything Penny did tended to be extreme. How was he supposed to explain it properly to her though? He had to do it quickly or the damage was going to become permanent.

"Let's give it up for-" Oh God damnit Sun. "-Lambent's strongest pair who both bravely risked their lives for all of us and one another against that crazy bastard!" Sun grabbed both of them by the wrists and hoisted their hands into the air like they had just won some kind of grand championship. It had the desired effect that as cries of gratitude and congratulations rained down upon them. Penny gave a bright smile, clearly oblivious to what they were being congratulated on while he could only return it awkwardly as his fearful eyes turned back to his team.

Yang and Nora were clapping just as excitedly alongside everyone else as they whooped and Yang even gave him a teasing wink. Yep, they had totally misunderstood too...great. Ren was just next to Nora and appeared to be clapping calmly out of just obligatory politeness if anything, his expression as stoic and unreadable as always. Pyrrha however, wasn't clapping at all and her hands hung limply by her sides as she stared at him and Penny with wide-eyes and a slack jaw. She appeared far more surprised by this than anyone else which was a little odd seeing as she had been there last night with them when he had saved Penny's life. He had hoped she of all people would've been able to help get him out of this but judging by that look there would be no such luck.

Ruby and Weiss...were making rather complicated expressions and he could clearly see the questioning looks in their eyes. Ruby at least appeared slightly elated by the atmosphere alone so she should be the easiest for him to explain this whole debacle away to. Weiss didn't look angry per se, but if he had to guess he would say she just looked very frustrated, probably because of how these rumours were going to affect her as his teammate. It was a little frightening how well he was able to rationalise their thoughts now but it wasn't particularly a bad feeling either, he felt a certain sense of closeness to them he hadn't felt since his siblings.

Blake on the other hand, even someone that didn't know her at all would be able to see she was positively seething and he quickly averted his eyes away from her angry glare. He knew she would be kind of mad but he had no idea it would have upset her nearly this bad. What's more, he really couldn't understand why she would possibly be so mad about it. She was normally calm and analytical and usually always gave him a chance to explain himself first...at least in instances where he hadn't attempted to piss his life away just beforehand.

"Bla-" He started to call out to her but it was at this moment she walked right past him, her glare having turned into an impassive stare as she refused to even look in his direction.

"Nora! Let's see what we can get to eat." She called behind her and almost immediately the more hyperactive girl gave chase, dragging her partner along.

"Right behind you, Blakey!" At least she had already forgotten what just transpired here. One down, seventy plus to go. The others were already walking away now as well as they returned to their tables to enjoy their meals, a couple of them patting his back to congratulate him as they did. Pyrrha walked past him, looking slightly dazed and more than a little out of it as Yang offered her some kind of comforting words. Like Blake, her eyes refused to look in his direction. Weiss was trailing just behind them and Ruby took a spot right in front of him and gave another one of her socially awkward grins.

"So...congratulations?" Ruby offered but it clearly was more of a question than anything.

Jaune sighed tiredly as he ran his free hand through his hair while Sun continued hold his other in the air. "Let's get some food first. I don't suppose you have enough GKP to spare? I was going to ask Blake but something's telling me she isn't going to talk to me right now."

Ruby gave a small smile. "Sure. I'm going to see if they have strawberry pancakes, what do you want?"

"Strawberry pancakes sound awesome."

* * *

Jaune drummed his fingers on the circular table he sat at while he waited for Ruby to return with their food. Apparently Lambent had some incredible state-of-the-art technology and there were kiosks set up along the wall where you ordered your food and then some kind of machinery made the food for you in a back room before sliding it out to you. It all sounded a little cold and heartless to him but he couldn't deny the convenience of it. Besides, odds are not many cooks wanted to come running out to make food for rookie hunters-in-training in the middle of a dead-zone. That certainly didn't sound very appealing.

He let out a dejected sigh as his eyes glanced over to the table where Blake sat. Her back was to him and she was currently chatting with Nora and Ren. Rather, Nora was chatting at both of them as per usual. Yang, Pyrrha, and Weiss also sat with them but they seemed to be involved in their own conversation as they ate their food. What the Hell had just happened? Last night he had been close enough to Blake for her to allow him to touch her ears. Now he was too embarrassed to even talk to her and she was angry enough to avoid him. He certainly hadn't planned on this.

"You appear to be conflicted about something, Jaune." Penny spoke up from right next to him. She didn't have any food in front of her and now that he thought about it he wasn't exactly sure she could even eat at all despite how human she looked. "Perhaps there is something I can assist you with?"

He shook his head at her. "No, Penny. You've helped me out plenty." Despite his words he wasn't angry at her. Penny didn't know any better and it wasn't like she had done any of this on purpose. Sun had put her up to it but he couldn't even really be mad at him anymore either. The guy had just thought he was doing him a favour in his own weird way. Too bad he didn't know he had essentially just set Jaune up with a robot. Oh well.

He turned to Sun and his partner Neptune, who also sat at the table with him. Sun was holding a banana with his tail while he took a bite from it every so often. He kinda wished he could do that, it looked cool. Neptune merely had a bowl of cereal in front of him but at the moment it went untouched as they whispered to one another, probably coming up with some plan that Jaune was sure he wanted no part of.

"Here you are, Jaune." Ruby appeared next to him with a plate of delicious looking pancakes in either hand. She placed one down in front of him while she pulled out a chair and took the free seat next to him.

"Thanks, Ruby. I appreciate it. I'll pay you back when I get a new scroll." He immediately began to dig into his food after saying that.

Ruby shook her head, her mouth already too full of food to respond properly. She quickly chugged some milk and let out a gasp before she was able to speak. "Don't worry about it. I'm just really happy you're alive to eat with me."

"You're not going to let that go, huh? It was one time." Jaune chuckled at her but she raised her eyebrows at him. "What?"

"You've been nearly getting killed since we met." Ruby deadpanned and he felt himself sweat. "You almost fell off a Nevermore, a Beowulf at one point tried to rip your face off, there was that time you lured off a Chimera by yourself-"

"Okay, okay. I get it." Jaune waved his hands to cut her off and she lowered the fingers she had been using to tick off each near death experience she had been present for.

"Damn man, you really have some terrible luck." Sun was staring at him with wide-eyed horror as Neptune punched him roughly in the arm.

"It's all about how you think about it. The fact that he's still alive after all that means he has really good luck, doesn't it? I mean look, you got him a girlfriend now so I'd say he's doing pretty well for himself."

"So you and Penny _are_ dating?" Ruby asked probably just a little too excitedly. He really needed to nip this rumour now before it was beyond salvageable.

"No, we're not dating! Penny was just showing her gratitude! Please make sure Weiss and Blake understand that for me! Can you please do that for me, Ruby?" Jaune pleaded desperately as he grabbed Ruby's hands and held them up.

Ruby appeared to deflate slightly at his words and she poked her head around him to look at Penny. "You and Jaune aren't going out?" What, she didn't take his word for it? Actually, now that he thought about it he wasn't sure what Penny thought about all this at all. Did she even care that people mistakenly thought they were dating? Was she capable of being embarrassed? He really didn't know enough about her at all which was kind of sad considering he actually thought of her as an important friend now. He turned his head slightly to see Penny smiling obliviously to the nature of Ruby's question.

"Jaune and I are currently not engaged in a romantic relationship with one another. We are simply the best of friends." Penny reached forward and rather roughly patted him on the back. He could practically feel his food threaten to come back up she hit him so hard.

"Seriously?" Neptune leaned forward and looked at them in disbelief. "That was a pretty long kiss for just two friends."

Penny tilted her head at him. "I merely did as Sun instructed. He explained the deeper my gratitude the longer the kiss should be." Three pairs of eyes switched to the monkey Faunus who could only grin sheepishly.

"...My bad?" He shrugged his shoulders before taking another bite of his banana.

"So you really aren't dating then." Once again Ruby appeared slightly dejected by this news which Jaune could only find strange. Why she even cared so much to begin with he couldn't even begin to fathom.

"Is there something wrong with that? I mean, we only met yesterday, of course we're not dating." He glanced at Penny out of the corner of his eye but as before she appeared happily oblivious to the nature of their conversation although she was clearly listening. Maybe things like that just really didn't bother her?

"I don't know." Ruby poked her index fingers together and averted her eyes as she tried to formulate a response. "Doesn't it just sound kinda like a fairy tale romance? You sacrificed yourself for her and died only to come back so you could be with her. It's like the happy ending in my storybooks." She grinned sheepishly at him before adding more. "Besides, you deserve to find someone."

"Heh." Jaune let out a small chuckle and she turned away in embarrassment, her face contorting in a pout as she did. "I'm not laughing at you...I just think it's funny how much differently you think from Blake is all." The things Blake had been saying to him yesterday had made so much sense he had just assumed everyone must have felt that way about finding romance out here in the middle of nowhere. Sun didn't count because well, he was Sun.

Ruby though, even while they were surrounded on all sides by the darkest evil known to humanity, chose to look for something happy and bright. It was refreshing...and it brought a strange sense of hope inside him. If Blake could be made to feel this way too...maybe there was hope for the two of them after all. He let out a small smile as he turned his attention back to Blake. As he did, he caught her glancing his way out of the corner of her eye but the minute their eyes met she turned back around. Right, he still had to straighten out this Penny mess first…

"Speaking of Blake-" Jaune cringed internally as Sun spoke up once more. "-even if it didn't go quite as planned I did make an effort to set you up with Penny, I'm still confused why exactly that didn't pan out but the rest of the school thinks you two are dating so I'll call it a success. Now you can help set me up with your lovely partner."

Jaune had to stop himself from groaning aloud. Of course this was going to come up again, Sun was persistent about it after all. Now though, Jaune was also aware of his feelings for Blake. He couldn't just tell Sun yes when he was pining for Blake himself...could he? He grimaced to himself as he thought about it.

Blake...was gorgeous. She was strong, confident, proud in her abilities. She was almost the exact opposite of him in most regards. The only reason the two of them got along at all was because they were partners that had faced life and death numerous times in the short span of just a couple weeks. Ordinarily a girl like that wouldn't even look twice at him, let alone consider him a romantic partner. Shouldn't he just be satisfied with what he had instead of trying to destroy it by reaching for more?

Sun on the other hand, maybe he really was a better fit for her? He was a little crass and definitely more outspoken than Blake herself was. Yet they were similar in many ways as well. Ways that Jaune could never be and he wasn't just referring to their Faunus heritage. They were both incredibly strong individuals, Sun was someone that could stand by Blake as an equal, not someone she had to pull along. It was a gut-wrenching truth but perhaps Sun was better for her than he was?

With a long, resigned sigh he let out a small nod and Sun's grin spread across his whole face. "Awesome! I can't wait to get started! You don't have to do much, I promise. Just help me find out some small things about her here and there. Maybe mention me to her from time to time in casual conversation. You know, get her interested in me. I'll put my moves to the test after that. If it doesn't work we can move forward from there."

"You're a real pal, doing that for Sun." Neptune grinned brightly at Jaune as he reached across the table and patted him roughly on the shoulder. "I know he can be kinda forceful but trust me when I say he means well. I appreciate you being willing to help him."

"Yeah." Jaune returned the smile awkwardly, a small worm of guilt building inside himself as he did. He was completely and utterly betraying his own feelings by agreeing to this but he had now given them his consent and there was no backing out for him now. At least, he wouldn't be able to back out in good-conscious. Sun was a nice guy and he would hate to hurt him...in the end it was just easier to bear the pain himself. As long as it made Blake happy it would be worth it, or so he told himself.

He placed his hands on his knees and squeezed tightly as he tried to keep himself from agonising over his decision...at least outwardly. It appeared to work as Sun and Neptune went back to planning while Ruby involved herself in the gossip that could likely be one of her teammates dating someone. A cold hand placed itself atop one of his own and startled him from his mental tirade and he turned to look at Penny who was smiling at him gently. "Do not be so hard on yourself, Jaune. I believe the appropriate phrase for this moment is there are plenty of fish in the sea. I am not entirely sure what fish have to do with romantic interest but I am given to understand that is the proper analogy for this situation."

"Penny…" Was he really being obvious enough about it for someone else to notice? He did have a pretty bad poker-face so if he thought about it, it was a miracle no one else noticed how internally conflicted he was about the whole thing. Still, her words did have a comforting effect and before he was even really aware of what he was doing he gripped the hand Penny had placed on top of his own and gave a small squeeze. It was a nice feeling, in an odd sort of way, to just sit there and hold hands with her. "Thanks, I think."

Penny closed her eyes as she nodded happily and for the first time he noticed her face was tinted slightly red. "What else are friends for?"

"Exactly right!" Jaune gave a girlish yelp at the booming voice that erupted from directly behind him before he whirled around to see Professor Port of all people standing completely upright just centimetres from his chair. How the Hell had this guy gotten so close without him noticing? He was the very epitome of boisterous and by no means should he have ever been able to sneak up on anyone in his entire lifetime. "Now then, I hate to interrupt this most lively chat your group is having but I require your presence, Mr Arc."

"Me?" Jaune quirked his eyebrow as he pointed at himself with his free hand, his other still holding Penny's. Just why would this big guy need him of all people? Actually, why did it always seem to be him? It was like some divine force just hated his very existence.

"Quite so. It won't take up much of your time. I just need you to accompany me up to my office if you would." Port reached his massive hand forward and placed it roughly on Jaune's back. He couldn't help but shoot nervous glances to Ruby and Penny but they only gave him reassuring smiles back. Great, just great. He supposed there was no getting out of this.

"Alright." Reluctantly he got of his chair but paused just before following after the professor to turn once more to Ruby. "You'll talk to Weiss and Blake for me?" She nodded and gave him a big thumbs-up. "Thanks, Ruby. I'll talk to you in awhile. Later, Penny. Sun, Neptune." He waved to the robot girl and nodded to the other two before turning and jogging to catch up to Port who was nearly to the elevator. The two of them entered together and just as the doors began to close, Jaune caught Blake's yellow eyes as they watched him go in concern. At least he knew she wasn't angry enough to ignore him completely.

"Quite the night you had from what I hear. Why I remember in my day-" Jaune almost immediately tuned the talkative man out before he was struck by a sudden realisation.

"Did the rest of the teachers know Shirou was going to do that?" He cut off Port's rambling before he could get too far and looked up at him with indignation.

Port turned his head down to regard Jaune's question but it was impossible for him to know what kind of expression the older man was making with his moustache masking his mouth and his eyes squeezed shut. "...Mr Schnee neglected to inform us of the specifics of last night's hunt. Had I been made aware of all the facts I would've put my foot down post-haste to such an audacious task for those so new to the field. It is also my deep regret to inform you that myself along with the other faculty had been confined to our rooms until the duration of the test. We were powerless to assist you and for that I would like to offer my most sincere apologies."

"Oh...well, I mean, it wasn't your fault or anything." The sincerity of Port's words threw him off as he hadn't expected to hear anything so well meaning from any of the Professors. He only really had two instances of dealing with teachers and so far both of them had seemed intent on making his life complete and absolute Hell. It was a little weird to meet someone that actually...seemed to care about his student's well-being.

"Yes, be that as it may I still regret having been caught off-guard so early into our excursion into the wilds. I will have to be twice as vigilant henceforth!" Port declared this while hiking his index finger high above his head.

"You...do that." Jaune wasn't sure how to respond to his intense enthusiasm so he merely averted his eyes away and stared at the door of the elevator.

"Thank you, Mr Arc." Like someone had flicked a switch inside Port's head, his next words were composed and quiet instead of loud and boisterous. "If not for your efforts I might have lost students in my charge before they had even truly begun to be nurtured. I am indebted to you and your efforts."

This guy surprised him at every turn. He kind of wanted to see what kind of face the Professor was making now but decided against turning his head to look. Instead he merely gave a small smirk. "I was simply trying not to die myself. Same as everyone else that night."

As those words left his mouth the elevator came to a stop and the door opened to an unfamiliar hallway. "My office is this way. If you would follow me?" Port didn't even wait for an answer as he strode forward with long, powerful steps. Jaune practically had to jog to keep up with the pace he set and in only a moment they turned into a rather ordinary room.

Port's luggage sat unpacked in the corner and aside from a still unused desk, chair, and lamp the office was completely devoid of anything resembling a teacher's quarters. Without stopping for even a second, Port made his way to the desk and opened a drawer before pulling out a scroll. "I understand yours was damaged in last night's excitement. This is a replacement for you, courtesy of Beacon Academy."

"Seriously?" Jaune excitedly stepped forward and accepted the scroll from Port as he booted it up and allowed the facial recognition to do its work. "Thank you so much, Professor!"

"Not a problem my boy! None at all!" Port let out a loud laugh as he patted his round belly. "It is already programmed with Lambent's operating system but I regret to inform you that you'll be starting fresh since none of your files had yet to be backed up. You'll still have your classes and room but you don't have any GKP at the moment. Just a little diligence on your end will quickly place you on par with the others!"

Well, that was typical. He supposed he should count himself lucky to get a new scroll so quickly at all actually. Just because he was a little behind on the currency he needed to survive out here wasn't so bad as long as his teammates were willing to put up with him being broke until the next time they went out to fight some Grimm, not something he was looking forward to by the way. He was pretty sure they had all fought enough Grimm for a lifetime last night alone.

The scroll began vibrating as an incoming call startled him so badly he almost dropped it. What the Hell? He only had this thing active for like five seconds and he was already getting calls on it? Someone either had really good timing or had been trying to reach him for quite some time. With a tired sigh, he slid the answer button and the call connected. "Hello?"

"So you are alive after all, Mr Arc." Ozpin's monotone voice came from the other end and Jaune recoiled lightly in shock. This guy...had Port somehow told him he was handing off the scroll at this exact moment? He turned to give the older man a betrayed glare only to find himself completely alone in the room with the door closed. Okay, seriously. That was kind of starting to freak him out. How was that guy so good at being stealthy when he was that big?

With an annoyed click of his teeth he turned back to the scroll. "I assume you know what Shirou tried to do to us last night?" He didn't even know why he asked. He wouldn't be surprised if it had made world news at this point and Shirou was being made out as public-enemy-number-one for endangering Remnant's best and brightest. Kinda sad that he was included amongst them but that was just a technicality anyways.

"Yes...I have been informed of Shirou's little game." Ozpin's voice betrayed nothing and it was impossible for Jaune to tell whether or not that was a good thing. Surely this was a victory in some sense for them. Ozpin had been afraid Shirou was trying to turn them into mindless Grimm hunting machines and now he had the proof. In a matter of hours they would be able to end this whole operation and either send someone more reasonable to train them or better yet, get them the Hell out of here. "I'm afraid I have bad news regarding that."

...What?

"Bad news? How bad are we talking here?" Jaune had to fight the urge to let his imagination run wild. They weren't going to send someone worse to run this school or something were they? What if they sent Ironwood? The whole school currently thought he was dating Penny and he kind of doubted Ironwood would take too kindly to him dating state-of-the-art super technology, even if he really wasn't.

"Shirou...well, not only were the four councils of the world aware of his plan to play that game, they gave it their full endorsement. Shirou is going to remain the headmaster at Lambent and he is going to be allowed to continue as he sees fit."

Jaune blinked.

Then he waited. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for. Probably Ozpin to continue and tell him the whole thing was one big joke. Tell him that he was just pulling his leg and they were actually about to be getting out any minute now. That never happened. "Wait...you're telling me that they _knew_ he was going to try and kill half of us and they just said 'okay'?!"

He didn't understand.

How? Why? What was going on here?

"James, Glynda, and myself find this just as distressing as you do, Mr Arc. I have decided to inform him of your mission to discover the truth and he is behind us all the way. We now have his support." Ozpin's normally monotone voice became deadly serious and Jaune could only gulp nervously as he heard it.

"The truth? Haven't we already discovered the truth?" This was not going as planned at all. He thought he could leave the whole secret agent thing behind without even having to do anything. Now suddenly Ironwood was in on it as well? "They were going to kill half of us in order to turn the other half into crazy Grimm killing maniacs! What more do you want to put this guy behind bars?"

"You're missing the point, Mr Arc." Missing the point? He felt he could see the point pretty clearly. "Think about it. There is no reason to go to such extremes to produce results. The issue of Grimm is urgent, surely, but not to the point that such drastic measures are to even be entertained, let alone executed. Something has frightened the council into action and I am almost positive the answer is with you at Lambent. If not it is close by. We need to find out what it is, and if necessary, make that information public."

Jaune's mind reeled as he considered exactly what Ozpin was implying. Something had happened that freaked out the leaders of the world so badly they were willing to allow nearly fifty of their best up-and-comers die without a second's hesitation. And now Ozpin was telling him it was up to him, and him alone to find out what it was. There was no way. He couldn't possibly do that. He wasn't even supposed to be here. Hell, he had faked his way into Beacon. This was seriously screwed up. "Ozpin...I can't-"

"You must!" The fierceness in Ozpin's voice immediately cut him off. "Listen Jaune, I'm not asking you to find a solution to the problem. I am simply asking for you to find me the missing variables. Once we have all the pieces of the puzzle we can handle it from there. In order to get that though, I need someone that is actually there. Someone I can count on and that Shirou won't be expecting. Need I remind you that you're guarding two very important secrets at the moment? If I must I will expose Miss Belladonna's to show you how serious I am."

Jaune grit his teeth in agitation. Damn it! Was there really no other solution for him? He couldn't risk Blake's secret. That was the absolute last thing in the world he wanted. She was already irritated with him, if that happened the rift between them would become irreparable. He stared hard at his scroll as he tried to think of something but nothing came to mind. He was trapped, done in by his own damn aspirations to be a hero no matter the means. It seemed no matter what he did he only ever dug himself a deeper hole. His own Semblance was evident of that.

"Fine." He finally relented, his hands gripping the scroll so hard he might snap it in half which honestly didn't sound like a bad idea right now. Too bad he really needed the damn thing. "When do I have to begin?"

"Immediately."

* * *

 **AN:** That chapter took my awhile to get out. Had probably my worst string of writer's block since I started the story but eventually I climbed over it. Well, that and I started playing Bloodborne which I put far more hours into than I realised, totally worth it. Originally was going to write the beginning of the chapter from Pyrrha or Blake's perspective but no matter how I spun it I just wasn't feeling it so I switched to Jaune's and it just started flowing for me. Just glad I managed to get over that little hurdle, really.

Speaking of Pyrrha, I feel kinda bad for what I did to her this chapter. Got her hopes up only for Jaune to brutally destroy them first with Weiss and then again with that whole Penny thing. Poor girl just can't catch a break. Now I know I said like six or seven chapters back (I can't believe it was actually that long ago) that I wasn't really going to have any romantic undertones between Jaune and Penny but clearly I decided the heck with it and went for it. Partially because I figured I'm pretty far off the beaten track as it is so why not give Blake a more unique rival for her eventual affections and partially just because I really like writing for Penny.

This chapter overall felt lighter in tone after the past couple which was kind of nice seeing as things had been pretty depressing for Jaune lately. At least, it was lighter until the end. His problems are only just beginning now that Ozpin's decided to up the urgency of his mission. Having said that though, I'm debating on where it is I want to start the next chapter. Usually at this point, I've always had a pretty decent plan but right now I'm not sure exactly what things I need to tackle in the story first. I know where I want the story to go, I'm just figuring out how to get there. So I apologize in advance if there is another gap between chapters but it will be because I'm plotting and hammering out the details.

* * *

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 20 - Class_

* * *

Blake let out an annoyed huff as she sat propped against the door to her room in the middle of the hallway.

Jaune had...disappeared. Again. Why did he always seem to do that? The last she had seen him, Professor Port has been taking him away at lunch for...something. She had no idea what the Professor had wanted from him but whatever it was it had made Jaune unfindable. She let out a tired sigh.

Maybe if she had stuck with him and given him a chance to explain himself from the beginning she would've been able to go with him for whatever Port had wanted. She was his partner after all. Instead she had been just a little...okay, very frustrated with him. Ruby had come to defend him but she was telling her things she already knew.

She had seen how socially awkward Penny was. Everyone had. So of course she knew that the kiss between her and Jaune hadn't meant anything signalling a relationship or growing attraction between the two. Penny was just expressing herself...in a very odd manner.

That didn't mean Jaune had to look like he enjoyed it so much. He hadn't even tried to put up a fight. Idiot. Okay, so yeah, she was still a little frustrated with him. He was just lucky that at the moment her worry was overriding that for the most part. If only he still had a scroll then she would be able to call him. Just what could he possibly be doing that would have taken him the rest of the day?

He hadn't shown up for dinner and he hadn't appeared for any of the numerous gatherings or celebrations with any of the other students as far as she could tell. They had all been partying pretty hard too, and for good reason. Classes started tomorrow morning. They were finally, finally done with being tested and were about to begin their training in earnest. It was no small miracle they had all lived to see it too. Jaune had been around for none of that. Had he been hiding...and if so from what? Surely not her because he thought she was mad? That idea stung a little.

Maybe she had been a little harsh to him earlier, but she felt justified in her actions. What was she even worrying about? Odds are he wasn't hiding and was actually busy doing...something. Whatever that something was she had no idea. Hopefully Shirou Schnee hadn't caught up with him and done something horrible. Just the thought almost made her leap to her feet to go check the headmaster's office.

Speaking of Shirou, she hadn't heard anything back yet on whether or not he was going to be removed from the academy. It would seem that if they were going to get rid of a sociopathic nutjob they would want to be prompt about it but as of yet, nothing happened to insinuate that they had any intention of getting him out of here. That...couldn't be a good sign. What if they were stuck with him? Who knew how many ways he would try to make their lives miserable.

Her bow twitched as the elevator at the end of the hall dinged before the door slid open. To her relief, Jaune stepped out of it but she almost instantly grew concerned again at the look of pure exhaustion on his face as he trudged forward with his head bowed. Just what had he been doing all day that would leave him looking like that?

"Jaune?" She called out as she used the door to her back to slide to her feet. He gave a startled flinch and turned towards her with wide-eyes and only now seemed to realise she was here. He stopped hard and stared like a deer caught in the headlights and for a second she thought he might turn around and bolt back the way he came.

"W-what're you doing out here?" His voice cracked as he asked that question and she rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm waiting for you. In case you forgot, you don't exactly have anywhere else to sleep." She tapped the scroll on her hip as a reminder.

"Ah." Jaune nodded suddenly in understanding as he began to relax before a look of shame spread across his face. Blake quirked her eyebrow but before she could ask he pulled something out of the pocket of his shorts. "Actually, Professor Port gave me a new one earlier today. I can get back into my room." Well, that explained what Port had wanted him for anyway. It didn't explain where he had been all day though. "So...yeah. Goodnight." He gave a quick wave before he began to scurry for his room.

"Wait just a second!" He cringed at her voice just as he got to his door. She had to take a deep breath or she really was going to continue to yell at him. Once she managed to calm down and he had turned towards her she continued in a softer voice. "We still need to talk. Where were you all day?"

"Exploring the building." He answered quickly...too quickly. She narrowed her eyes at him. He was hiding something again...why was he always hiding things? She didn't have much room to talk but at this point he knew everything about her, literally. It only seemed fair that he would be completely open with her.

"So what were you exploring the building for?" If he was going to be that way, fine. She would just play his game. Jaune wasn't exactly the most suave liar in the world and sooner or later she would trip him up. His face twisted in a grimace as he almost certainly realised what she was pulling. Still, there was no way he was going to run from her. They were partners after all which meant he was going to have to fess up to her at one point or another.

"For someone that was too mad to talk to me earlier you sure are asking a lot of questions now." Blake's eyes widened and it was only through conscious effort that her mouth didn't fall open. Jaune had said that with such an icy disposition it had almost seemed completely out of character. In fact, it pretty much was. He must have seen the shock on her face though because his angry glare almost immediately turned to panic as he flailed his arms back and forth. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean that! It just kinda slipped out without me thinking. I mean, I was thinking it but I didn't really mean it-"

"Jaune." She stated simply to cut off his rapid-fire apology. It worked and his mouth clamped shut but his eyes continued to dart to and fro as if trying to make up for the fact that his mouth was no longer moving. She let out a tired sigh. Maybe she had that comment coming...still, she would've never expected Jaune of all people to say something like that to her. Although she could think of one other person that would talk to her that way. Pushing that thought aside, she instead focused on what it was she should be doing next.

"I'm...sorry too." She supposed she owed him this much. "I probably should've heard you out back then. I just didn't want to make a scene with everyone's eyes on us." While that was partially true, it was certainly also true that she had let her jealously cloud her judgement and she should've seen how much her anger hurt him. Having friends you cared about was tricky. "Now...can you please tell me what it was you were up to? I'm worried about you. You haven't been acting like yourself since this morning."

Jaune slowly lowered his hands down to his side as he gave her an apologetic smile. Why? Why did he look so defeated right now? "I can't tell you that."

"..."

What? That was it? No reason as to why or anything else? He was simply going to tell her he couldn't and expect her to take that at face value? "That's...not fair." She mumbled as her confusion began to turn once more into anger. "You...know everything about me. Everything! You owe it to me to tell me what it is that you're doing!"

Jaune's expression didn't change. He just continued to give her the same apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Blake. I can't."

"At least give me a reason! Is this something you would be able to tell Penny?" Despite herself, that last part slipped out. No, she didn't care about him and Penny. She really didn't. They weren't a couple and she had known him longer anyways. She was his partner and best friend, not her.

He shook his head. "I can't tell Penny. This isn't something I'm keeping from you because I want to Blake. I just can't tell you right now. It isn't going to get in the way or anything." Bull. It was already getting in the way. Couldn't he see how exhausted he was? She grit her teeth and clenched her hands into fists as she tried to think of a way to change his mind.

"Sorry, Blake. I'm going to bed now. I'll see you for classes tomorrow." Jaune gave a small wave as he turned around and the door opened.

"Wait!" Blake called but it was too late as he stepped inside and the door slid closed with him behind it. "Tch, damnit!" She cursed under her breath as she punched the wall behind her. That talk had not gone as planned at all. It seemed that before this they had always been able to work out their differences. That was because before this they always opened up further to one another. Now though, Blake had nothing left to open up to him about whereas he refused to reveal anything further.

Was Jaune...beginning to drift away? That thought was terrifying to her. He was the first friend she had ever truly made and the idea of him going away from her hurt. For just a brief moment, she wondered if Adam had felt something like this when she had severed the links to the train back then but immediately shook the thought off. The friendship she had with Jaune wasn't comparable to the mentorship she had with Adam. She wouldn't let this end the way that had. When she saw him tomorrow she would approach him normally instead. Just because he wasn't ready to talk now didn't mean he wouldn't be soon. She just had to give him time and fortunately for him, she was a patient person.

With a resigned sigh, she turned around and went into her room.

* * *

Jaune leaned back against his door and slid to the ground.

Why? Why couldn't he just tell her? She had waited for him all day, to apologise to him no less and he did little more than spit that apology back in her face. He hated himself right now. Of course he knew why he couldn't tell her. If he told anyone Ozpin would expose her secret. She would surely hate him then if that happened. So what? He turned his back on her help and risked having her hate him anyways just to prevent her from hating him?

He let out a small chuckle and banged the back of his head against the door. That was some twisted logic.

He had to hurry up and find what it was Shirou Schnee was hiding here at Lambent. That was easier said then done. He wandered aimlessly throughout the school all day but hadn't found anything worth note. That wasn't surprising though, if it was easy to find it wouldn't be worth hiding. Still, he had to find it as quickly as possible.

The sooner he found it the sooner he could let Ozpin know. The sooner Ozpin knew the sooner this whole thing could be put behind him. Then he could tell Blake everything and she wouldn't have to hate him. They could stay friends...just friends.

He grimaced at that thought. Classes started tomorrow which meant sooner or later he was going to run into Sun. That meant it wouldn't be much longer before Sun started putting his plans into action to get Blake's attention...plans Jaune was expected to partake in.

What a joke.

Still, he had made a promise and he wasn't going to break that promise. It was his honour as a Sch- Arc, as an Arc.

His fatigue must have really been getting to him. With a small sigh he bumped his head against the door more gently and stared at his stretched-out feet before closing his eyes. In a matter of moments sleep took him and he was once more consumed by memories of his teammates.

* * *

Sun peeped curiously into his fourth and last class for the day, tail twitching anxiously as he did. This was supposed to be some form of Combat practice class taught by some Professor Yen or whatever, he had never heard of her but supposedly she was the Atlas representative. Didn't that make her from the same place as Shirou Schnee? Of course it would be wrong to hate her for that and as no stranger to discrimination thanks to his heritage he decided to he would wait to meet her before passing judgement.

Still, he didn't see any Professor yet but he was kind of early. This room was slightly different than the other classrooms too. Like every room in this building though, it was circular and had a high ceiling but instead of just having chairs haphazardly thrown into it like the rest of the classrooms this one had a set of bleachers. The middle of the room was elevated in a circle, creating a type of combat ring which he supposed only made sense if they were expected to fight one another in here.

"Mr Sun! Over here!" His tail perked up as a familiar voice called his name. He turned to see Penny waving him over energetically. A big smile spread across his face as he saw her. It wasn't much, but at least she was someone he knew. Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet all had a different class this period although at least he had at least one period with each of them. Unfortunately he had yet to have either Blake or Jaune in his class. Well, he supposed fourth time was the charm? He could only hope.

He walked casually over to Penny and dropped down on the bleacher next to her. "What's up?"

Penny tilted her head curiously at him for a moment before pointing obviously upwards. "That's an odd question, Mr Sun. Above us is the ceiling right now. If you were referring to the components of which it was made then it is-"

"No, no. That's okay." Sun sighed as he waved off her far too literal explanation. "You gotta learn to keep up with the lingo of modern youth, seriously." This girl was really odd. Then again, he knew that already. What kind of girl kissed a guy like that yesterday and then professed that it was only out of gratitude and not affection? Penny clearly had the hots for Jaune and he would help her get together with him if it killed him...well, okay, he didn't want to die for it but it would be a really nice gesture on his part. At least he thought so.

He owed him that much at least. The guy had agreed to help him get together with his own partner after all, like a real pal. Sun was extremely grateful for that. He had planned on asking him to do that after he had set him up with Penny but that had somehow failed and he had been concerned that Jaune wouldn't have any reason to help him if he hadn't done the same first. Yet Jaune had readily agreed regardless and as a bro, Sun couldn't let Jaune help him get a girlfriend without doing his best to do the same. So he would continue the conquest to set him and Penny up.

Speaking of which, Penny was now obliviously humming right next to him so Sun reached over and poked her with his tail. "Hey Penny, mind if I ask you something?"

She turned her head and smiled happily at him as she nodded. "Of course not, Mr Sun. Ask away!"

"So...what was up with yesterday? Did you get cold feet or something?" He almost immediately regret his choice of words as a look of perplexity overcame Penny's face.

"My feet were at a regulated temper-"

"I'm not referring to literal cold feet." He deadpanned and her mouth snapped shut. "What I mean is, why didn't you confess to Jaune after you kissed him?"

For maybe the first time since he started hanging out with her he saw her face blush. "W-what are you referring to? I am not romantically interested in Jaune!" Hiccup. Sun quirked his eyebrow as Penny let out an odd noise immediately after her claim. He wasn't buying it.

"No one that kisses a guy like that isn't at least a little interested in him. Besides, I think Jaune was totally into that kiss. I bet if you asked him he would agree to go out with you." Sun just didn't understand why there was any room for her to hesitate. She surely liked him and he didn't look like he would be opposed to the idea. At first Sun had been afraid he was into Blake but after his reassurances and then his agreement to help those worries were gone. On top of that, Jaune had sacrificed himself for Penny last night. Well to be fair, he had tried to sacrifice himself for all of them at one point, but he had done it for Penny twice and even received a hole in his gut for her. He must have been at least a little interested himself.

"I am not so sure." Penny twirled the tip of her copper hair as she averted her eyes. Sun was positive now that she liked him.

"Why don't you just ask him?" Sun turned towards the door and his eyes widened. "Like right now." He cupped his hands to his mouth and gave a shout. "Jaune! Over here!" The other blonde had just stumbled into the room and was glancing around awkwardly before Sun's shout caused him to give a startled jump.

He quickly appeared relieved though when he saw who it was and made his way over to them. "Hey Sun! Penny!" He called in greeting and gave them both an awkward grin.

"Plop a squat, buddy!" Sun scooted over so there was enough room for Jaune to sit right next to Penny.

"Ah, thanks." Jaune stepped forward and took the seat, causing Penny to blush a little more deeply as he did. That was good, maybe she was considering his earlier advice now? He could only hope so. Unfortunately, a sudden shout drew everyone's attention as the hyperactive girl from Beacon walked into the room.

"Oh my gosh! It's Jaune and his new girlfriend!" Nora, at least Sun thought that was her name, shouted as she beelined it over to the two of them. Several murmurs broke out behind them and Sun turned to see the other students leaning over to get a better look at Jaune and Penny while whispering amongst themselves. Well, maybe it didn't matter if Penny confessed or not. As far as the entire student population was concerned, Jaune and Penny were already an item. It would take a lot of work for anyone to dismantle that rumour now.

It was kind of weird how excited it seemed to make everyone too. They were out here to kill Grimm but things such as who got together was a hot topic for discussion. At the same time it made sense that they would be interested in Jaune and Penny getting together. After the other night they had set themselves apart as the two strongest students at the academy. It was no exaggeration to say they formed the strongest couple. Something like that had a nice ring to it and brought a bit of hope to the rest of them, who were in a bit of a hopeless situation. Trapped out here in the middle of Grimm territory with a psycho running the place.

"Hello again!" Nora plopped down on the other side of Penny and gave everyone a huge grin.

"Salutations!" Penny greeted loudly enough to drown out Sun and Jaune's own responses. He couldn't help but notice neither of them made an effort to correct her on calling Penny Jaune's girlfriend. Although she looked like the type that wouldn't listen to begin with.

"Oh! Blake! Blake!" Nora was already ignoring them and waving someone new over. Sun's tail immediately perked up as he whirled over to see the ever-beautiful Blake Belladonna slowly ambling over to them. Yes! Just yes! Finally it looked like his luck was turning around. He was really happy to be placed in this class now. Unfortunately for him, Blake took a spot next to Nora, placing her on the opposite end of the line from him. True, he could get up and scoot over to that end but that would look desperate and lame. He had to play it cool until he knew her better. He needed Jaune's help for that.

Speaking of, Jaune had averted his eyes awkwardly away from her and she was staring at him as if trying to get his attention but she wasn't verbally calling out to him. That was kind of odd. Did they have a fight? He hoped not.

"Alright, looks like everyone is here." A commanding feminine voice cut off his thoughts and he turned to look for the source...only to not see anyone. Huh? "Welcome to combat practice. I'm Professor Yen and I'll be your instructor and coach for this period." Finally, he located her only to realize he had skimmed right over her.

She was...short. Incredibly short, probably only as tall as his waist. Her brown hair was tied back in a haphazard bun and crooked glasses framed her face. Most odd was her white labcoat that was clearly too long for her body and dragged against the ground and a huge backpack slung over her shoulders that almost made her look like a grade-schooler if not for the rest of of her appearance. Her look was so surprising for a teacher he didn't notice her Faunus fox-ears until after he had taken everything else in.

"This class is pretty straight forward." She continued as she stuck her hands in the pockets of her labcoat. "In order to improve I will have you practice practical fighting tactics against one another. It would be convenient if I was allowed to bring Grimm into the facility but unfortunately that is forbidden and I cannot properly control the environment outside so we'll make do with what we have. To start off, I'll start with Jaune Arc and Penny seeing as I have the most combat data on the two of you. As the strongest couple in Lambent it should make for an interesting match."

Jaune let out a very tired sigh as he slowly got to his feet as Penny did the same. Sun felt a little bad for the guy. Real girlfriend or not, it had to be rough to fight her. He just really hoped he wasn't partnered with Blake. He had seen her mad last night and that was terrifying. Still, Professor Yen made an made an interesting decision in choosing them first.

"Isn't it odd to start with the strongest two?" He called out and Yen turned a curious gaze towards him. "I mean, seeing as they're the strongest shouldn't they need the least attention?"

Yen adjusted her glasses, albeit they still remained crooked. "Strongest or not you are all in dire need of progress. If you all don't improve quickly I'm afraid every one of you will die horribly."

...Okay. Well, that was pleasant. "Good luck buddy." He pat Jaune on the back for support but nothing was likely to calm the poor guy's nerves after that cheery pep-talk.

* * *

"Report in the middle of the ring." Jaune followed after the short, oddly-dressed, Faunus teacher as she walked to the stage. For a second he wondered if he was going to have to help her climb up onto the ring when four mechanical spider-like arms came out of her backpack and clicked against the ground before hoisting her up and helping her clear the gap.

"Woah." He mumbled in surprise as she was suddenly taller than him thanks to their support. Her feet dangled in the air as the robotic legs carried her forward. That was some pretty sophisticated looking technology she had in her backpack there. How was she controlling those things? He turned his head and saw Penny didn't look the least bit surprised by what just happened. Maybe she knew this Professor?

He hopped up onto the ring and continued after the Professor who had stopped in the middle. Once they were only a metre away she turned around and lowered herself back to ground, the spider-like arms retreating inside the backpack. How did those long things all contract enough to fit in there?

"I'm going to be discreet about this conversation, Mr Arc." She talked much more quietly now and he looked into her orange eyes to see her sizing him up. "I am Penny's personal mechanic and was sent here to keep up on her maintenance and make sure she continues to get upgraded." He widened his eyes and immediately whirled on Penny who was standing there as impassively as ever. "Hmm...most curious."

"Huh? What is?" Jaune continued to glance back and forth between the two of them.

"You are much more ordinary looking up close than I imagined." Was that supposed to be an insult or something? "I expected something a little...more, from the person that had thrown away his life for Penny despite knowing her true form. I suppose it is true though that heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Look no further than myself for proof of that." She chuckled quietly at her own joke before turning immediately serious again. "I will have you continue to spar against Penny until others become aware of her secret. I cannot risk others knowing while it remains against her wishes. Besides, anyone capable at besting Shriou Schnee at one of his own games must surely be an incredible tactician. I don't think I've ever heard of it being done before the other night."

"Umm...about that." He wouldn't exactly call himself a brilliant tactician. It had all just kinda been luck of the draw really.

"I don't care to hear any of your modest rebuttals. We only have an hour so how about we get this show on the road? Of course, there is something I want you to see first." She pulled a scroll out of her labcoat pocket and tapped away at it for several seconds before numerous gears began shifting beneath his feet. Holes opened all over the arena and rocks of varying shapes and sizes appeared from them. Sand poured out from several of the rocks and soon the whole arena was completely transformed to a jagged, desert domain.

A small microphone came out of Yen's backpack and when she began speaking her voice echoed across the whole room. "You will all be fighting in artificial enviroments made by this stage to help you adapt to what you are likely to encounter out in the wild. It's not a perfect system but I've already said that once before. Also, Mr Arc and Miss Penny will only be using their swords for this match. He will not be allowed his shield and she not allowed her strings. Similar limits will be placed on you all in order to ensure the fastest growth possible."

Predictably, cries of outrage came from the bleachers and Jaune turned to see some of the students throw their hands in the air as they complained. Yen's nose crinkled in annoyance and her fox-ears flattened as she glared at them. He couldn't exactly fault them for being upset though. He wasn't exactly keen on the idea of not using his shield. Maybe it was true that he relied on it a little too heavily but could you blame him? He was only alive to this day thanks to that thing. It had saved him numerous times.

Before he could voice his own objection, Penny stepped forward. "Aunty Yen, I do not see the point of these limitations. I am unlikely to be thrown into a situation where I am unable to use my strings and will need to rely on swordsmanship."

"Oh?" Yen tilted her head as she smirked. Jaune had a bad feeling about this. He had seen his sisters make that kind of face numerous times. It was the face of someone that knew something you didn't and they were about to use it against you. She pressed a button on her scroll and a screen displayed above him. "This was taken from your very eyes the other night, Penny. Look familiar? As I recall, you weren't able to utilise your strings in this situation."

Jaune's eyes widened as a burning sensation filled his gut and a massive migraine spiked through his head. Displayed on the screen was something he had forgotten. Something that had been erased. The image of a Cackler with its claws piercing him right through the gut.

* * *

Blake's jaw went slack and even Nora became much more quiet from right next to her as the screen began to display an image that she had only heard about. Jaune stood there, still in his original orange shirt and jeans. His sword and shield hung limply by his side as the long claws of a cackler drilled directly through his gut. The image suddenly became a video and started playing.

Blood pooled at the bottom of Jaune's feet as it poured out of both ends of the wound and dribbled off the Cackler's claws. His throat convulsed and his cheeks puffed as he attempted to keep from throwing up. It only took a moment for him to lose that battle and he gave a ragged cough as he emptied heaps of blood directly out his mouth that only added to the red puddle.

She couldn't watch this. She couldn't watch this. She absolutely couldn't watch this. Yet...she couldn't take her eyes away from it. He was alive. He survived this. How did he survive this? It didn't even make sense now that she was looking at it. No wonder Pyrrha had given him up for dead. No one should've survived that. Just thinking that hit her hard in the gut and she turned to see him just to make sure he was actually there and breathing. He was certainly alive but his breathing had turned irregular as he almost appeared to be having a panic attack.

"Holy shit!" Sun mumbled adequately from just next to her. Pyrrha and Penny had been the only two to witness this horrifying scene until now. Why were they being shown this? Was it some kind message to show them their inadequacy? At this point even Penny was helpless with a broken arm and the two of them were called the strongest couple...which was an idiotic name may she add. But still, if the rest of the class saw who they believed to be the strongest two...reduced to this then surely that drove home the point that they needed to get stronger...and fast. If not this was all that awaited them.

A shot echoed somewhere off the screen and a second later Milo slammed into the Cackler's head and propelled it into the wall. The Cackler died instantly but the damaged wall wasn't able to take anymore punishment as a sizable rock broke loose and fell directly on Jaune's head. The moment it hit him, blood sprayed from the wound and matted his blonde hair with red and she could see his eyes lose focus as his legs gave out and he fell backwards.

It was horrifying to watch as his body simply slipped out of the Cackler claws and fell towards the empty space behind him. As he did his eyes turned towards the screen and they focused in on Penny...at least it must have been Penny on the other side of the screen, her scroll at least. Did it have some kind of record feature on it? That didn't matter. Jaune's face changed again.

As he looked at Penny a satisfied grin spread across his face and the video paused. What a horrifying picture. Jaune was falling backwards into an empty black void. His stomach had a hole in it that blood was freely flowing out of. His head had been split open and more blood trailed down his face. Yet he smiled like there was nothing wrong in the world.

It was almost disgusting how happy he looked in that one image. Blake could taste the bile in the back of her throat as it built up just from looking at the image. He was dead. At that moment he was absolutely positive he was dead. Yet he smiled like an idiot. Why? Because he had saved someone?

 _"I suddenly knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to be a Hunter. I didn't care how scary it was. I didn't care that it would lead to my death. I realized right then that if my death could allow someone to continue to survive and make that expression then I would gladly give my life. Now here I am. Ready to die if it means I can protect someone."_

Those were the words he had told Shirou Schnee. The words she only heard because he had sent her that recording. This was a image she only saw because Yen played that video. Jaune had never intended for her to know about either, but now she did. She had known about his resolve before but after hearing the reason and suddenly having the truth of how far it would take him thrown in her face was almost too much to bear. Was this...who Jaune Arc really was? She had thought she knew him but this image was unlike anything she had ever imagined.

"G-gug!" A choked yell came from the centre of the stage and she saw Jaune collapse to his knees as both hands grabbed the side of his head.

"Jaune!" She didn't even realise it was her that had yelled his name until she was already halfway to him and leaping onto the stage. She slipped on the sand for only a moment before adjusting to the surface-change and sprinted up to him and dropped to her knees. "Jaune!" She wrapped her arms around him and looked over at the Professor who was almost eye-level while she was on her knees. "What's happening to him?!"

"Hmm...curious. Most curious." She was tapping away at her scroll as she watched his reaction, her voice no longer going into the microphone. He was gasping for breath like a fish out of water and his eyes were practically bulging out of his head and she was only watching! For the first time in her life Blake was ready to lash out at another Faunus...and for a human's sake no less.

"Aunty Yen!" Penny yelled in a voice more stern than Blake had ever heard.

"Fine, fine." Yen shoved the scroll back into her pocket along with both her hands. "His mind is rejecting the memory. To heal those wounds of his last night he had removed the memory of the Cacklers. I believe he did the same to heal your wound from the Hydra, Miss Belladonna?"

"H-how do you know that?" Blake asked defensively as she reached for Gambol Shroud.

"While in combat your scrolls are constantly recording. I merely accessed the files on your scroll once they reconnected to Lambent's cellular network. I got quite a bit of useful information from them and formed that as a hypothesis. Judging by his reaction I would assume I was right. The same thing would likely happen to you if I showed you an image of you getting mauled by that Hydra."

"How do we fix it?" Blake didn't care anymore about the specifics. She just wanted him to get better.

Yen merely shrugged. "How should I know? This is my first time seeing it as well. I told you this was just a hypothesis. Besides, I hadn't intended to send him into a seizure. I was just trying to shut you brats up."

Blake clicked her teeth and turned back to Jaune who she was still holding onto. "Jaune, link with me. Right now." She wasn't sure what good it would do but she had been capable of transferring thoughts and emotions the other night. Maybe she could calm him down by doing something similar right now? She didn't know but she had to try something.

For a moment she wasn't sure he heard her until golden Aura overflowed from his body and began to envelope them both. She felt their Aura pool together along with the panic and intense pain he was in. _'Jaune! Just relax...the image is gone now.'_ She glanced up briefly to confirm it had in fact disappeared. Satisfied that it wasn't coming back she turned back to him and did her best to transfer some form of calming emotions through the link.

Slowly it began to work and his pale complexion began to return to normal as his breathing became more regular. _'Blake…! Thank you. I-I don't know what was happening.'_

' _Don't worry about it. Is there any memory backlash?'_ She rubbed his back gently to help comfort him.

' _No.'_ He shook his head. _'All your memories since the last time we linked poured in but it was a manageable amount.'_ That made sense. A couple days was much more reasonable to take than seventeen years after all. She let out a sigh of relief she didn't even know she was holding. _'Blake. I'm sorry about last night. I just-'_

' _Whatever it is you're hiding I'm sure you're doing it to protect me in some way. After seeing...that, just now...I'm convinced of that. I know you wouldn't ever do anything if you didn't think it was to help someone. You were exhausted though, Jaune. I'm not one to talk as I can get a bit obsessive myself but believe me, it doesn't do any good to wear yourself out. Just...tell me as soon as you can.'_ She wanted to know. She wanted to know what he was up to so bad it hurt. He could almost surely sense that through the link. But as someone with secrets from everyone but him, she decided for now to respect his privacy. She couldn't do anything more for him as his partner than that.

' _Yeah. I appreciate it, Blake.'_ Right after he said that she felt the connection cut and his Aura withdraw from her own. A hand extended in front of Jaune's face and she turned to see Penny smiling sadly at them.

"I apologise for Aunty Yen." She spoke quietly and Blake could hear the regret in her voice, despite the fact that she did nothing wrong.

"Heh, don't sweat it." Jaune grabbed her hand and almost immediately Blake felt a small knot form in the pit of her stomach. With her help he got to his feet and before either could react she jumped forward and wrapped him in a hug. "You two are really embarrassing me, clinging to me like this you know. Everyone's going to think I'm pretty pathetic." He let out an awkward laugh but smiled sincerely as he managed to untangle himself from her hug.

"Now that everything appears to be in order can I ask that you head back to your seat, Miss Belladonna?" Blake turned an annoyed eye to the short Professor. Yet another whack-job that was over them, just great. She didn't bother responding and just turned around to walk off the stage. As she did, Yen's voice echoed once more across the whole room. "And that ladies and gentlemen is the true value of your strongest couple. Do you get it now? You are all weak. Weaker then these two and they were absolutely helpless in that situation. Penny's arm was broken and if that had been anyone other than Mr Arc I personally guarantee you would be dead. If either of them had been better swordsmen that situation could've been potentially avoided. That is why you will train the way I say. If you don't, you will die."

In the back of her mind Blake understood that Yen was saying this to help them. She truly believed she was motivating them to become stronger and live. Regardless of how good her intentions though she had hurt Jaune and then had the audacity to shrug it off like it wasn't even her problem. She would never forgive her for that.

She rejoined Nora and Sun at the bleachers to find the monkey Faunus had moved so she had to sit between them now. She rolled her eyes at his obvious display to get closer to her. "Is he okay?" At least he sounded genuinely concerned about Jaune, she would give him that.

"He's fine. Just a minor Semblance hiccup." Blake answered as she sat down.

"Semblance hiccup?" Sun tilted his head curiously.

"Is it possible for a Semblance to harm you like that?" Nora placed a finger on her lower-lip inquisitively as she swung her feet. "I thought they were supposed to only be beneficial?"

"Jaune's Semblance is...unique. It offers incredible strategic advantage but the repercussions are...severe." She didn't know how to say anything more without giving away too much. She wasn't entirely sure how much they had decided to tell others yet. Other than Yang they hadn't really let anyone outside of their team know about what it did. Although Shirou Schnee and this Professor Yen had seemed to figure it out on their own.

"So then!" Yen called loud enough for everyone to hear as she walked to the edge of the stage. "Let the match between Jaune Arc of Vale and Penny of Atlas...begin!"

The other twenty students erupted into shouts of excitement as they cheered for the two of them, some of them taking bets. Apparently their spirits had returned quickly enough despite having been shown such a grim scene. Blake only rolled her eyes at them all. Fights against others was hardly something worth getting excited about. They were here to kill Grimm, not other humans. Still, she was interested to see how Jaune had improved.

Too bad for him he was fighting possibly the strongest girl in the school. He ran forward with only his sword drawn and swung at her while holding it with both hands. She stood completely in place and held a single sword in her hand. She swung it forward to meet Jaune's. They connected with a loud clang…

...and Jaune was forcefully ejected into the air. "Penny!" He screamed in dismay as his body twisted and flailed but there was no way for him to recover. He flew past the boundary of the arena and crashed rather roughly onto the hard metal floor. Just...what kind of crazy strength did that girl have to launch him like that!? More importantly...was he okay?

"Oooh…" He let out a moan of pain but he was already starting to pick himself back up.

"...Winner by ring-out...Penny." Yen spoke with no small amount of astonishment in her voice. She wasn't alone as all the other students mumbled in hushed tones amongst themselves.

"That was quick."

"Was Jaune actually that weak?"

"Surely not, he beat Shirou Schnee and killed a full-grown Deathstalker by himself."

"Maybe Penny is just that much more crazy strong?"

"I bet he threw the fight since she's his girlfriend."

"Makes sense. He wouldn't want to seriously hurt his girlfriend by going all out."

"That's really sweet of him, doing that for his girlfriend."

Blake facepalmed as they all reached the general consensus that Jaune was holding back so as not to harm Penny. As long as she remained his sparring opponent he would likely never get caught for being so obscenely weak either. And seriously, they weren't even dating! Why did they have to keep saying it?!

"Next up! Nora Valkyrie and Sun Wukong!" Yen called as Penny hopped off the stage and ran over to Jaune.

"Yippee! It's my turn!" Nora skipped happily ahead as she unfolded her hammer.

"Wish me luck." Sun winked as he got to his feet. Blake merely let out an amused snort. He was going to need more than luck or the same thing that happened to Jaune was going to happen to him.

"I'm so sorry, Jaune. I thought I was holding back." Penny was mumbling continuous apologises as she helped Jaune limp over towards her.

"I don't think you know the first thing about holding back, Penny." Jaune grumbled as he plopped unceremoniously next to Blake. "Is the rest of my time here at Lambent going to be like this? Teachers keep giving away all my personal information and I keep getting my ass handed to me."

"You might want to get used to it. This is going to become our routine for two years. Not to mention we'll be going out to fight Grimm every night and over the weekends." Blake placed a comforting hand on his shoulder even as her words tore him apart.

"Just great. I look forward to it." Jaune grumbled.

The sound of Sun screaming as he was launched through the air caused them to look up just in time to see him land in a way not too unfamiliar to what just happened to Jaune. Blake hadn't even heard the match start...although knowing Nora it might not have.

"Well, look at it this way. He's having about as much fun as you are." She offered optimistically, a small part of her just glad she could talk to him normally again for once. It felt like forever since they had been able to do that.

"I do not understand what you and Mr Sun find fun about being launched into the air." Now if only this other girl would quit pretending to be his girlfriend. She was still clinging to him for crying out loud! Still, she supposed she could ignore it for now. So long as Penny didn't try to distract Jaune from getting stronger.

She would do whatever it took to make sure she never saw that image that had been up on the screen again. Even if for now that meant putting up with Penny and her antics or letting Jaune keep a couple secrets of his own. So long as he was alive and smiling she supposed that was enough.

* * *

 **AN:** This chapter kinda felt all over the place tonally but I suppose after rereading it that it kinda had to be. Things for the others are just kinda beginning to slow down as they get accustomed to their situation whereas for Jaune things are only beginning to ramp up even more. Speaking of, twenty chapters in and they've finally begun their _first day_ of classes. Sheesh. Took me long enough, lol.

Introduced yet another OC, I'm not sure what it is but I just can't create someone that is willing to be nice to Jaune. Although once I get around to re-introducing his Semblance predecessor that should change. Anyways, on the plus side, don't expect some super-arc dedicated to defeating this OC like what happened with Shirou. At the moment her interactions are going to be restricted to the combat class although that might change towards the end. I based her appearance off a combination between Rika from the anime Haganai and Child Emperor from the manga One-Punch Man.

Otherwise, did Sun's perspective for the first time this chapter. His was easier for me to write than I thought it would be although I did kinda give him a one-track mind. Not sure if that made him come across as OOC or not but I did try to make him seem as if he had the best intentions for Jaune. Penny continues to be the most amusing to write. And I gotta give credit to Coeur Al'Aran for pitching the idea of Jaune losing incredibly quickly to Penny and the others just chalking it up to him going easy on his girlfriend. The idea was too funny not to use so I hope it was amusing. He also helped me out in tweaking some lines for Professor Yen so she didn't come across like a complete bitch...just somewhat of one. XD

Next time, the others adjust to their lives at Lambent but notice Jaune's continuing mental fatigue.

* * *

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 21 - Month_

* * *

A loud screeching alarm echoed across the tiny room, causing Ruby to jump out of her bed, literally. Her blankets flew into the air as her bare feet landed on the carpeted floor and she reached for Crescent Rose. Red lights flashed intermittently, casting an eerie glow over her room whenever they did. She checked the timer on her scroll: five in the morning. She still had another hour before they normally started to get up.

"Attention students of Lambent." An automated voice spoke over the intercom system. "We have a code red. All students must report to the southern entrance for combat. Repeat-" Ruby tuned out the rest of the message as she licked her lips in anticipation. A code red! How exciting!

There weren't enough of those, although when they did happen they were always while the sun was down which she supposed made sense. Grimm were much more active at night after all. Still, they had been here over a month now and this was only the third one? That sounded about right. It was only the third time that Grimm too big for the automated-laser-defence-system were charging right at them. It was up to them to stop these things or else they wouldn't have a place to stay anymore.

She dressed in a flash and bolted out the door. Predictably no one else was out of their rooms yet. She quickly scurried over to the elevator and mashed the button. She needed to hold it for the two Beacon teams so that way they could be the first down and on the battlefield. She didn't know what Grimm they would be fighting yet but they were almost certainly worth a fair amount of GKP. They could eat for a week if they killed enough of them and maybe even have enough to afford cookies too? She hoped so.

The elevator dinged open and Ruby moved to step into the threshold to reserve it but stopped hard when she realised someone was already in it. Specifically, an exhausted looking Jaune was in it. Her silver eyes made contact with his blue ones and she could see the shock and panic register in them but even more-so, he looked so exhausted it was barely noticeable. He had dark circles underneath his eyes and his whole posture was slumped when it should've been rigid with adrenaline from the coming battle.

"Jaune...have you been out all night?" It certainly looked that way but she couldn't imagine what he was doing. Meeting up with Penny, maybe? They still insisted that they weren't going out but if he had been with her wouldn't she be with him now? So she supposed that wasn't it.

"Nah, I just woke up early...earlier. Got hungry so I went down for a snack." He rubbed the pink shirt he had taken to wearing in order to express his supposedly-empty stomach.

"...And you brought Crocea Mors for that?" She asked sceptically as she observed his sword and shield/hilt hanging off the hip of his camouflage shorts.

"You go anywhere without Crescent Rose?" Touché, Jaune. Touché. She certainly didn't go anywhere without her baby. "Hey, can you do me a favour?" Can you not tell Blake about this? You know how needlessly she worries." He asked awkwardly and gave a pleading look, but for a moment she considered turning his request down. Jaune was up to something but wouldn't say what and Blake was likely the only person capable of getting it out of him. Still, she couldn't bring herself to turn down the request of a friend so she gave a small, hesitant nod and a relieved grin broke out across his face. "Thanks, Rubes. I owe you." He ruffled the back of her hair affectionately and pulled her head towards him before placing a quick kiss on her forehead.

Her face turned immediately as red as her namesake and she could practically hear the steam pour out of her ears as she sputtered at the unusual but brotherly sign of affection. Jaune tilted his head obliviously, apparently confused by her reaction but before either of them could say anything, several doors opened at once as the rest of the Beacon students filed out into the hallway, completely dressed in gear and ready for battle. "Ruby, Jaune. Good job securing us the elevator." Weiss nodded in approvement at the two of them as she approached.

"It was no big deal." Ruby pulled her hood up in order to hide her previous embarrassment and stepped inside the elevator so the others could get in as well.

"What's up, sis?" Yang tilted her head in concern as she invaded Ruby's personal space and attempted to check her over.

"I'm fine." Ruby skipped backwards and hid behind Jaune, leaving her sister with a frown on her face before she simply shrugged and took a spot next to her partner.

"You were quick this morning, Jaune." Blake spoke suspiciously as she took her place next to him. "You're usually the last one to crawl out of bed most days." Jaune gave a small flinch at Blake's words that Ruby only noticed because she was watching him closely but Blake undoubtedly noticed it too, she was observant enough to catch any small reaction.

"H-He wasn't quick enough to beat me though!" Ruby interjected quickly as she stuck her head in between the two of them. "I was already running to the elevator when he walked out of his room!" A look of relief spread across Jaune's face even as a small knot of guilt formed in Ruby's stomach. She didn't like lying, especially to her friends, but he certainly must have had a good reason to want to keep this a secret. He wouldn't ask her to do this otherwise, right? She couldn't do anything more than trust that was true.

"Hmm, alright." Blake gave a small nod as she relented and leaned back against one of the elevator doors. Only a moment later and they hit the ground floor and they all exited out the south and made their way outside the Lambent Tower.

The stars lit up the early morning sky but the sun had yet to so much as peak over the horizon, making it nearly impossible to see what they were trying to look for. She could feel the ground shake though as whatever it was approached them, meaning the Grimm were either huge or there were a bunch of them, possibly both. "Ruby, can you find them with your scope?" Jaune tapped her shoulder as he whispered against her ear.

She nodded quickly and pulled out Crescent Rose, popping open her scope as she did and activating the night-vision mode on it. She peered into it with one eye and scanned the horizon...and almost immediately saw them. It was impossible not to see the stampede of massive Grimm charging directly towards their location.

"See anything?" Yang asked excitedly as she leaned over her sister's shoulder. Ruby leaned aside and let her peek into it. "Woah…"

"What are we looking at?" Jaune didn't sound the least bit enthused but he had a look of staunch determination as he rested a single hand on the hilt of his shoulder and stared directly ahead. It was moments like this that Ruby truly felt like he had adjusted to the role of leader, despite the overwhelming exhaustion he was feeling...or maybe because he was feeling it? Sometimes Jaune looked like a time-worn veteran, one that had lived through many years, despite only being seventeen. In a way it was reminiscent of her father.

"Goliaths. A full stampede of them." Yang answered while Ruby was busy with her thoughts. "I would guess at least twenty but there could be more. They're making a lot of dust as they run so it's hard to see how far back they go."

"Goliaths?!" Weiss reacted in shock as she stepped forward and peeped into Ruby's scope herself. "That doesn't make sense. They're all full grown!" She pulled back away almost immediately after seeing the elephant-like Grimm. Ruby tilted her head at her partner's apparent disbelief. She failed to see why it was such a big idea whether or not they were full grown.

"Goliaths take hundreds or years to reach full maturity." Jaune had somehow seen the confusion on her despite the fact that it was only just starting to form. "They're also much more wary Grimm than other species. They usually do not attack unprovoked unless they are certain they can kill without being killed. It makes them naturally dangerous opponents because if they're charging then they're confident in their ability." How did he know all that? Ruby didn't remember being taught that yet in Port's class. Had it been in one of his long ramblings?

"So we just have to show them how stupid they are is what you're saying, right?" Yang grinned viciously as her gauntlets went into active mode.

"He's saying that the very fact they're charging at all is unusual. They're not acting like they normally would and that is cause for concern." Blake deadpanned as she shook her head.

"The reason they're attacking isn't important! Let's just kill them already!" Nora began to skip ahead and with a resigned sigh, her partner Ren, hurried after her.

"We'll keep an eye out for any other signs of danger. You do the same." Pyrrha nodded to her own partner and the two of them chased after the rest of their team.

"S-should we wait for the others?" Ruby turned around just in time to see another wave of students exit out of Lambent and begin to take in the situation. They were going to have to move soon in order to kill as many as possible themselves but it wouldn't be worth it if they got killed because they didn't have significant backup.

"We need to have PYRN's back. Can't let them have all the glory." Weiss turned to their leader as she spoke. "Besides, we have a one up on everyone else. Shall we link?"

He nodded and took a stance next to Ruby and grinned at her. "Wanna do the routine?" She could only nod enthusiastically to his question. She felt like some kind of superhero doing their famous transformation scene when they did this and she would never pass on an opportunity to perform that. Jaune's smile grew wider at her response and he spread his legs and dramatically waved his arms in a circular pattern. Ruby mimicked him as he did until he theatrically thrust his arm out sideways. "Arc-"

"Link!" Ruby completely in an equally dynamic voice and she clapped her hand together with his. Golden Aura extended from Jaune's body and enwrapped them both in its warm glow. It was always an incredible feeling, linking with Jaune as her Aura more than quadrupled, a testament to the substantial amount of Aura Jaune had alone, along with the absolute security she felt being linked to someone she trusted like a brother. She still worried about the consequences Jaune's Semblance had on his own mind, but for the most part he appeared fine so she supposed she shouldn't worry too much.

"Blake? Weiss?" Jaune asked as they completely linked up and he turned to the two of them with a hopeful smile on his face.

"I am _not_ doing that." They said in perfect sync.

"Pfft, you girls are no fun." Jaune mumbled as he walked forward and extended his palm towards them. _'Party poopers.'_ He mumbled mentally to Ruby just before linking to them and she couldn't help but let out a giggle.

Blake and Weiss extended their hands at the same time and he added both of them to the link simultaneously. A few weeks ago, Ruby had expressed her concern in adding them to the link at the same time like that but because Jaune only assimilated their most recent memories since the last link he didn't seem to suffer any negative feedback so it appeared alright. Only Jaune truly knew but she doubted he would admit it even if it was causing him great mental stress.

The only thing she could do was watch out for him, just like he did for them.

* * *

' _We all ready?'_ Weiss asked into the link as soon as she was sure she felt the presence of all their combined Aura.

' _We're good to go.'_ Jaune nodded for them all as he pulled out his sword and expanded the sheath into a shield. Not a moment later and they all took off running to catch up to team PYRN. The Goliaths were close enough now that their outline could be seen without the need of a scope and the ground shook violently, making it difficult for them to charge forward. _'Ruby? Can you push your Semblance through?'_

' _You got it!'_ Ruby saluted back and a look of focus settled over her face. It was an interesting concept, one Weiss had never thought possible but due to the unique concept of Jaune's Semblance it was made reality. Essentially, their Aura was all bled together into one central pool with Jaune at the centre, acting as the source of their power. Semblance's were derived from one's own personal Aura, so that actually left one of two outcomes when their Aura was merged together. One of those being that if their Aura had become one thing then shouldn't their individual Semblances vanish? They were immediately able to rule out that because they could still use their Semblances.

That left option two. It should be possible for them to use one another's Semblance. It had taken several weeks of trial and error but they had found the key to it. The trick was only trying to use one Semblance at a time. If Ruby forced her Semblance through the link then that was the only one they could use. The moment she withdrew it though Weiss could use her own again. If she forced hers into the link though then Ruby and Blake would lose their own Semblance temporarily and be stuck with hers. Actually, it was a terrifying feeling, losing your Semblance and having it replaced with one she wasn't familiar with like that. She could still feel it lurking the back of her/their Aura but she couldn't access it as Ruby's overrode it.

It was a bit of an invasive feeling every time she felt Ruby or Blake's Semblance flow through the link like what she was feeling now. If only because with the Semblance also came a bit of their core personality. She could feel Ruby's brash courage and willingness to charge forward no matter what flow into her at this very moment. When it was Blake's Semblance she could feel her wary scepticism and constant doubts, as abstract as they were. It was never a concrete feeling, just the general notion she was able to make out. She could only imagine what the three of them felt when she forced her own Semblance forward. Still, it was an incredible feeling at the same time to be able to use someone else's unique ability. Very, very few people in Remnant could claim to have accomplished such a thing and it would be the source of great envy to many to know that she had done so.

She shook the thought loose as a blur of red shot past her vision. Rose petals were left in Ruby's path as she sprinted forward and ahead of them. A moment later and two streaks of yellow and black shot after her, leaving similar coloured petals behind them, if only to show that the Semblance was altered slightly in the hands of a different user. She kicked harder off the ground and the world blurred around her as she moved to keep up. She had no idea how Ruby was able to tell what she was doing when running like this, it seemed practically impossible, yet that little girl was as capable a combatant as any of them while moving at such velocity. The truth was, she wasn't sure she would be able to fight effectively like this. Sure, she had used Ruby's Semblance in the training facility, but this was their first time applying it to actual combat. And against Goliath's no less.

In a manner of seconds they raced past PYRN and slowed down only when they were just in front of the first row of Goliaths. _'Ruby, pull your Semblance!'_ Jaune called and almost immediately Weiss felt the small feeling that was Ruby withdraw from her conscious. _'Weiss, your turn!'_

' _Right!'_ Without Jaune even having to say it, his intent was transferred through the link. She and the other three already knew what he wanted to do. It was strange how comfortable Jaune had gotten at giving commands over the past month. He was barely reminiscent of the same person he was when she had met him upon their arrival to Beacon. There were a surprising number of sides to him, certainly he was goofy and air-headed when not in combat but while in class he was usually quiet and with his nose in a book, imagine her surprise when she found out he liked to read, and in combat he took absolute authority and gave commands without hesitation.

She did as he instructed and forced her Semblance into the link and she knew the other three could feel it, whatever it was they felt when her core personality invaded their senses. She and the others all quickly spread out so they were all directly in front of at least one Goliath. There were ten charging Goliaths in the front row with what appeared to only be one more directly between them, leading Weiss to assume Yang's earlier calculation of twenty appeared to be accurate. That meant though they were only going to be able to hold off eight of them at best, leaving the rest of the students to deal with the other twelve.

She supposed that was fair. The others should be able to handle that many, assuming they could even actually deal with eight. They were about to find out, the Goliaths were about on top of them and the ground was shaking so violently she couldn't believe they were still able to stand straight. Jaune raised his shield in front of himself and the others all followed suit and brought their weapons just ahead of them. Four giant glyphs formed when they did, each one matching the colour of their namesake and their family crest filling the inside. Honestly, she was surprised and a little hurt at how naturally they all used her unique talent. It had taken her years of training to be able to produce a glyph this big and they had all managed it after a month of training. She just had to hope they built the foundation right or those Grimm were going to batter through it like it was nothing.

The Goliaths in the front row let out loud, bestial roars as they bent their heads forward and charged tusk-first into the glyphs and were halted almost immediately in their tracks. Weiss could feel their Aura take several massive dips in order to maintain the glyphs in place but thanks to the overly large pools supplied by Jaune alone they held strong. The Goliaths buckled forward under the momentum of their own charge and slammed painfully into the ground. Not even a moment later and the row behind them smashed into them with their tusks, snapping their necks and killing their own brethren without a second thought, all with just the single-minded purpose of going forward. Maybe these Goliaths weren't as intelligent as she had given them credit?

The glyphs cracked and shattered under the pressure of the second charge but they had already served their purpose as the Goliaths in the back row tripped and crashed into the ground behind their dead brothers. The groups on either side of them continued to charge forward but there was no time to worry about them now. _'Weiss, Blake, swap out!'_ Jaune called once more over the link as their glyphs disappeared.

' _Right!'_ Her and Blake's voice overlapped as she pulled her Semblance back and she felt Blake's fill the link in its place. Once more Jaune didn't have to say anything and she could practically feel his intent as he channelled it directly into their minds. They all charged forward at the same time towards the first group of dead Goliaths. Just behind them the second group was still struggling to climb back to their feet, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Thanks to how the first four died, they now knew that they were weak at the throats which just left getting to them in time.

Weiss jumped in the air and created a clone just beneath her feet to kick off of as she did. It would've been just as practical for her to use her glyph to perform a similar feet but Blake's clones took less Aura to create when being used as platforms and any Aura they could reserve the better seeing as Jaune and Ruby still needed one of their abilities to get airborne. She landed on top of the dead Goliath and began to run along its body and towards the one behind it that was just beginning to stand up. As it did it swung its trunk at her.

She gave a small smirk as she left a clone in her place that took the blow for her as she appeared several metres ahead and right beneath the Goliaths neck. It was almost too easy to get within a simple-minded Grimm's guard with such a technique. It still had no idea she was alive but unfortunately for it she was about to make it painfully obvious that she was. She leapt into the air and sliced a gaping hole right into its neck before she spun in midair and landed on it.

The Goliath let out a loud bellow of pain but it was already too late for it as she spun the dial on Myrtenaster to the red dust and combined it with Blake's Semblance to leave an explosive clone behind. She landed nimbly on the ground with her back turned to the Grimm when the explosion went off and the heat entered through the slit she had created in its throat, killing it almost instantly as its insides were incinerated.

' _Too easy.'_ She brushed her ponytail to the side as the Goliath she killed slammed to the ground, dead. She turned to see which one to kill next but was almost immediately disappointed to find that her three teammates had each already felled their adversary as well.

' _Sorry to disappoint, Weiss.'_ Jaune grinned cockily as he strolled up to her, already sheathing his sword away and hanging it off his hip. _'Turns out that with a decent Semblance to help me get close, even I can kill a Grimm or two on my own.'_

' _I'll ignore the fact that you called my Semblance "decent" and instead tell you that I saw Ruby bail you out. Even with my Semblance you still need help. And why did you sheath your sword? We're not done yet.'_ Blake approached Weiss from the other side as she pulled her Semblance back from the link, leaving them all free to use their own again.

' _Nah, I think the others have got it. Look.'_ Ruby was folding up Crescent Rose and took a stance next to Jaune while pointing to where the rest of the Goliaths had charged ahead to. Weiss and Blake turned their heads to see the rest of the students dropping the last couple of Grimm on their own. PYRN had all teamed up on one, and Weiss could've sworn she saw that cute guy, Neptune, and his team taking on another. A big flash of green out of the corner of her eye that she recognized as Penny's dust cannon as it disintegrated a Goliath.

' _I suppose they do have it under control.'_ Weiss grimaced as she hooked Myrtenaster to her hip grudgingly. She had wanted to get a little more glory than that. Oh well, odds are, no other team had managed to kill eight of them by themselves so she supposed that would have to do for now. Only a second later and the last Goliath fell and she could feel the link slip away as Jaune cancelled it out.

"Let's go see everyone else and head back." Jaune called aloud as he started to jog forward, apparently eager to get back behind the safety of the laser defence system. Weiss couldn't say she blamed him much either though. If they didn't have to be out here than she certainly didn't want to be. Still, that was an odd move on the Goliaths' part. They were supposed to be one of the most wary of all Grimm. Why had they charged forward? They had been annihilated without hardly any resistance. Certainly, as a group of students, they had grown exponentially in this month alone since coming to Lambent, but that had been almost too easy. It had almost been like the Grimm weren't interested in them at all and had only been concerned with getting to Lambent.

"Jaune!" Weiss flinched at the unnaturally loud voice used so early in the morning and turned to see Penny was already jogging to meet them halfway.

"Hey Penn- Oof!" Jaune's words were cut off and his slightly extended arm bent strangely over Penny's shoulder as she tackled into him and wrapped him in a big hug. Weiss could only let out a sigh at Penny's over-exuberant display of affection towards their leader, especially as she lifted him off his feet and grinned broadly while he could only gasp for breath from her apparent iron-like grip. It was no wonder the entire school still believed they were a couple. She was pretty sure that the only ones that didn't were herself, and Blake. Ruby was up in the air, and if she didn't believe it she certainly supported it.

"Can you please let him go, already?" Blake grumbled in annoyance as she stalked up to Penny and tapped her on the shoulder. To what looked like Jaune's relief, Penny almost instantly complied as she placed him once more on his feet and took a step back.

"I apologise, I was just so excited to see how well you did, Jaune." Penny rubbed the back of her head and grinned at him. "I see you managed to kill two by yourself."

Weiss felt a small amount of indignation at her words. "It was most certainly not by himself! He was linked to all of us while he did that. We all get the credit for one another's kills."

"Chill out, Ice Queen." Sun jogged over to the group as well, followed by his team. Weiss only glared at him for using that dreadful nickname. "It's incredible that you guys managed to kill that many at all. That's two per person. It took my whole team just to take on one by ourselves. Most of the other teams gained up to beat back their own targets. Needless to say, if you guys hadn't taken out as many as you did this whole thing might've turned out more ugly than it did."

"One month in and still no casualties!" Yang cheered as she appeared behind Ruby and jostled her hair. "Hard to believe this whole thing started off with nearly all of us dying."

"We've still got another twenty-three months to go. We shouldn't get complacent." Pyrrha reminded her partner as she stopped just next to Weiss. Ren and Nora weren't far behind her.

"How about we move this party a little forward...like behind the laser system?" Jaune was already trying to make his way forward and the others all immediately nodded in agreement as they broke off into groups to make their way back. Penny flanked one side of Jaune while Blake took the other. Sun naturally skipped up next to Blake and the four of them formed one group. Neptune remained with his other two teammates, Sage and Scarlet. Ren and Nora walked together as she chatted aimlessly away at him. Which left her and Pyrrha to walk with Yang and Ruby as they made their way back.

As they approached the giant metal tower that was Lambent, a lone figure became visible that hadn't been before because of the still starry sky. Weiss' eyes widened as she saw her uncle, Shirou Schnee, standing just at the border where the lasers offered their protection. "Why hello there, everyone! Lovely morning we're having!" He grinned brightly at them as he spoke in a cheery tone.

"Go to Hell." Yang spat as she walked straight past him. Most of the others did the same, some of them glaring at him with looks that could kill and others refusing to even so much as glance in his direction. Weiss couldn't help but feel a small pang of remorse in her heart as she saw the absolutely horrible treatment he received from his students, even if he had earned it. She actually hated that she felt that regret but it was hard not to, he was family after all. Still, he had played with their lives in that horrendous game and hadn't received any form of legal punishment for his atrocities. She had thought that everyone would rebel and kill him themselves when they found out. It had been Jaune of all people to talk them down yet again from doing that. She didn't get it. Jaune went out of his way to stick his neck out for the guy despite the fact that he should hate him more than anyone. He had essentially died once because of him, after all. Still even now Jaune stopped in front of Shirou while the others continued past him without a word. Penny, Blake, and Sun hesitated to remain but ultimately the three of them continued forward, apparently their own distaste for her uncle too strong to tolerate being by him long enough to see why Jaune had stopped.

"Oh, and to what do I owe this pleasure, Mr Arc?" Shirou asked curiously as he smiled down at him. Weiss took a couple steps closer so she could be by his side while they talked. At the very least she could tolerate his presence enough to be curious about what Jaune had to say.

"..." Jaune opened his mouth but no words came out so instead he snapped it shut and made a strange look of contemplation. Shirou's own grin faltered for a second, something Weiss rarely saw happen. "I...actually don't know. I just felt like I should say something." Jaune mumbled as he rubbed his chin and thought about it a little more.

Shirou let out an amused snort and patted Jaune roughly on the shoulder. "As amusing as ever, Mr Arc! You and I really need to get together and play some card games some time. Go Fish is a personal favourite of mine." Weiss quirked her eyebrow at her uncle's odd gesture. For some reason or another he had appeared to take a liking to Jaune. Then again, she never could figure him out before and it would only certainly lead to a headache if she tried to now.

"Oh...sure, I guess. It's been a while since we've played." Jaune nodded and he finally started to walk by him. "I'll talk to you later, uncle."

Shirou didn't miss a beat. "I look forward to that, nephew." Jaune stopped hard when Shirou's words registered and his eyes widened in shock. His head slowly turned to look at the older man but he continued to stare forward as if nothing unusual had transpired. After several moments of silence, Jaune's body hitched forward and he broke out in a light jog back towards Lambent.

"Jaune! Wait!" Weiss called as she ran after him. Her uncle made no move from his spot and instead continued to smile ahead as she did but she put him and his unusual antics to the back of her mind as she chased after her leader. "Jaune! She called again as she closed the distance between them as he slowed down just in front of the door.

She glanced at him curiously out of the corner of her eye as they both walked into the building together. He had a strained grimace on his face and was staunchly refusing to look back in her direction. Now that she observed him a little closer, he had bags under his eyes and his posture was slouched in exhaustion. He looked ready to keel over at any moment. In hindsight, it was amazing he had been able to go out there and fight in his condition. She supposed she would chalk his slip-up just now to that exhaustion and not bring it up.

* * *

"Jaune!" Penny waved him over as she, Sun, and Blake waited for them at the elevator. Weiss grimaced as she lost her chance to scold him without anyone overhearing. She was going to have a talk with him later about maintaining his health. He was their leader and if they couldn't trust him to take care of himself, how could they trust him to take care of them?

Blake sighed in contentment as she basked in the serene silence of Lambent's library. It had been quite the long day already and she was glad to finally sit down and relax. First there had been that code red in the morning, which was almost immediately followed by a rowdy breakfast where the rest of the student body had swarmed them yet again, asking about how they were able to defeat eight Goliaths in such a short span. Seriously, it hadn't even been that big a deal. The first four had been killed by the row behind them so really they hadn't even done that. Sure, they put up the barriers that led to their deaths but it was just because the Grimm were blindly charging forward that it had gone so well. Regardless, the others treated it like it was some great feat. She was only too glad to go to classes to get away from them all.

Too bad she seemed to have classes with all the particularly excited ones. She hadn't even been able to pay attention to Port's lecture with so many students constantly passing notes around her. Then there was combat training with Professor Yen. Jaune had been getting particular good lately at dodging around Penny's attacks so he had managed to fend her off for a while before she inevitably rocketed him out of the ring. That unfortunately left her stuck to listen to Sun's incessant flirting until he was finally able to limp back over to her and even then it still didn't stop completely. Just how many hints did she have to give before this guy got that she just plain wasn't interested? Fortunately for her, after lunch was over, he and his team had to go back out into the field in order to hunt Grimm because they were running low on GKP. With the amount of GKP her team had gathered that morning though, they would be good at least until next week. They wouldn't even have to go out over the weekend. It sure paid to kill so many high-level Grimm by themselves.

Ruby had decided to go out on the field with her sister and the rest of PYRN and Weiss had gone to some study-group with another group of overachievers from Atlas. Blake hadn't bothered learning their names. Which now brought her to the library with Jaune. She was actually impressed by the size of it. A whole floor had been dedicated to it which left room for thousands of books from all over the world, including books to read for pleasure. It was certainly an absolute luxury to be surrounded by a literary oasis in the middle of a desert. It was almost perfect as she sat in the rather comfortable chair next to her partner, reading a book about the time before the kingdoms came to be. Almost.

"Jaune! Look what I found!" Now if only Penny hadn't followed the two of them here. Didn't she know libraries were supposed to be quiet? She glared at Jaune's not-girlfriend out of the corner of her eye to see her running up to the two of them with a decent sized book in her hand, waving it high over her head. As she approached them she slowed to a stop and a gave a sheepish look. "Sorry, I didn't know Jaune was asleep."

What?

Blake tilted her head to see Penny was correct. Jaune was passed out on the chair next to her, his head rolled over onto his shoulder and the book he had been browsing through flipped open on his lap. A small string of drool rolled out of his mouth and dribbled over his shoulder, telling her he had likely been out for quite some time. How long had she been reading this book exactly? Apparently longer than she thought. She had been reading this book for him too, trying to find some clue about his predecessor. It was impossible to believe that the person Jaune described was some obscure individual forgotten by time. So whenever they had a spare chance they came to the library and attempted to find some kind of reference to her. So far...nothing. Not anything at all. They surely should have found out something about her after over a month of checking on and off but it was like she never existed at all. Blake was starting to think that maybe Jaune had just been delusional and only thought he was talking to someone. He had hit his head just before that fall.

"Would you at least like to see it?" Penny handed the book towards her and reluctantly she accepted it. It was a book of famous war families throughout history. She quirked her eyebrow at the front cover before flipping open to the glossary. Naturally, the Arcs were listed towards the very front of the list. She went to the page indicated and began to skim through Jaune's ancestors.

What she found...wasn't reassuring. The average life expectancy for the people of Remnant was certainly never very high, but compared to how long the average Arc seemed to live, most people lived long fulfilling lives. Seriously, at the young age they all died it was a miracle any of them had offspring at all. Most of them likely never got to watch their children even be born. If anything it explained Jaune's tendency to pitch himself into potentially life-threatening situations without so much as a second-thought; it ran in his family. There was one thing it didn't explain though. "There's no reference of any notable women from Jaune's ancestors, nor any mention of Arc Link." Just from what time period was that girl? She was seriously starting to doubt her existence now more than ever.

"Perhaps she is not an Arc at all?" Penny hadn't moved from her spot and continued to stand directly in front of her. What she proposed was an interesting thought. She didn't necessarily have to be an Arc to have the same Semblance that Jaune had. She had just assumed she was because of the name given to the Semblance.

"I don't think we're going to find anything on our own. Jaune is the only one to have actually met her." Blake let out a tired sigh as she snapped the book shut. Honestly, a nap didn't sound all that bad to her either. Maybe she would head to her room. That involved waking Jaune up first though. Knowing him he would just sleep here all night if she let him. Just as she leaned over to poke him awake Penny cleared her throat.

"You should allow him to rest a little while longer. Jaune appears to be under great amounts of stress, recently." Blake's eye twitched as she turned once more to look at Penny. She still hadn't moved from her spot but was now watching gently over her partner. She could see the affection in her eyes but also the trace amounts of worry. Apparently, Blake wasn't the only one to notice Jaune's increasingly growing mental fatigue. Problem was, she wasn't entirely positive on what exactly was causing it. On the one hand it just seemed to be from a lack of sleep. On the other though, she couldn't help but worry that Arc Link was messing with him in ways he wouldn't fully admit. She didn't want to believe Jaune was lying to her, but it certainly went without saying that he wasn't the most forthcoming with whatever it was that had him skulking around the tower like some kind of Private Investigator so it was reasonable to assume he was withholding other burdens of his.

It could also just plain be the stress of the situation finally catching up with him. Jaune had faked his way into Beacon. He hadn't been qualified for that alone, let alone being thrust out here among the elite of the elite. Yet that was where he was, and surprising he was doing okay. He had singled himself out as one of the strongest two (even if that wasn't exactly true) and he was growing exceptionally more skilled with the use of his Semblance. Rather...they were growing stronger with his Semblance. Jaune was improving, but it still stood to reason that by himself he wasn't capable of defeating anyone in combat. Linked with them though, they were an unstoppable force. She didn't know if this really bothered him or not because again, he wasn't giving her much to go off of, leaving her with only conjectures. She hated to admit the thought of it...but maybe he was more forthcoming with Penny? "Has he told you anything? About what he's been doing that would stress him out like this." She added that last sentence because knowing Penny, she would start recounting everything he had ever told her if she didn't.

Penny shook her head sadly. "Jaune is reluctant to talk about himself with me. I have been trying to discover more about him but he dodges most questions when I ask him about his past…"

"I see." Blake drummed her fingers against her knee as she considered Penny's words. In a way she was relieved to know that Jaune hadn't told her, yet at the same time it was irritating to still not have the answer. Why did her emotions have to be so complicated? "I suppose I'll stick around with him until he wakes up then. I don't mind spending time in the library." She set down the book Penny had brought her and opened up the one she had been reading before that.

Penny gave a rather large nod. "I shall bid you farewell for now then. Please pass that onto Jaune as well when he wakes. I have a routine check-up with Aunty Yen or I would remain as well."

"I'll let Jaune know." Blake gave a slight wave even as she started reading her book again. To her great relief, she heard the footsteps grow quieter and quieter as Penny finally left her in peace. It wasn't that she disliked the strange girl for her unusual personality...it was more because she remained adamant about sticking close to Jaune everywhere he went, despite the fact that she wasn't a part of their team. Blake had never so much as seen or even heard of her teammates, that's how little time she spent with them. The rumours about her and Jaune being a couple would've long since vanished if Penny didn't act so consistently clingy, which brought Blake to her next concern: What if Penny didn't want the rumours to disappear? Was she thinking that if people just said it so much it would just become true? Even Pyrrha Nikos had given up truly trying to get to know Jaune because of that false rumour. It wasn't like Jaune wasn't allowed to have a girlfriend, but at the moment he seemed to have enough on his plate without adding relationship drama to the mix.

She was just trying to look out for her partner, nothing more than that. Ending her train of thought on that note, she returned back to her book until sleep eventually took her too.

* * *

A small vibration in his pocket caused Jaune to bolt up in the chair he was sleeping in. Where...where was he? He glanced around to see that he was still in the library, but now all the lights were out, encasing him in darkness and telling him the sun must have long set. He could hear the gentle breathing of someone sleeping on the chair just next to him and knew it had to be Blake. As quietly as he could he crept out of his chair and tiptoed a couple aisles over before pulling out a small headset and placing it around his ear. "Hello?" He whispered into the mic.

"Good evening, Mr Arc." Glynda Goodwitch's voice came from the speaker. "Ozpin had business so I'll be assisting you with tonight's...assignment."

"Where else is there to even check in this freaking place?" Jaune was about fed up with this so-called mission. For a month now he had been scouring the entirety of the tower, top to bottom and still he hadn't found anything. What was more, the longer he went without finding anything the more involved Ozpin seemed to be becoming to the point now where they called him every night and verbally guided him around. Because of that he hadn't gotten any sleep at all last night and just when he had finally been released they had to have that damn code red. He was really starting to understand the oppression that all those Faunus must surely feel. No wonder they felt the need to protest and create an organization like the White Fang.

"There is only one place left in the tower that Ozpin finds suspicious. Preferably, we would've had you go there from the beginning but since students' aren't allowed there it took us time to find a way to get you access. Now though, we believe we can proceed. If this doesn't work out it may be a while before we come up with another plan of action." At the very least, Glynda sounded sympathetic towards his plight. That was more than Ozpin ever did.

"So...you're saying that after this I might be done for a while?" He couldn't help but let the hope leak into his voice. Was there really a light at the end of the tunnel for him? Could he really be nearly free of these nightly scours?

"That is exactly what I'm saying, Mr Arc." Glynda confirmed and he nearly collapsed in relief. Finally. One last job and then it was all over. He couldn't wait. Once this was all behind him maybe he could finally tell Blake what was going on.

"Alright. Let's get this over with. Where am I heading?" He asked, ready to get it over with once and for all.

"The basement, Mr Arc. You are going beneath the tower."

* * *

 **AN:** So...lesson learned. Timeskips are hard.

Sorry that there was a lot of telling and not always as much showing in this chapter, especially when Weiss was explaining some of the gimmicks behind Semblance sharing. Truth is, I'm not big on writing training chapters so I just kind of skipped over that and gave you it in action and allowed Weiss to conveniently info-dump that for you all.

Otherwise, not much Jaune perspective this chapter as I wanted to more show on the others were adjusting and how they were perceiving his current mental state. I'm thinking he'll likely be all if not a majority of the next chapter's point of view though.

Next time, Jaune descends beneath Lambent.

* * *

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 22 - Below_

* * *

Jaune let out a groan as the elevator took him up towards the top of Lambent. More specifically...towards the office of Shirou Schnee.

Why? Just why?

That was possibly the last place he wanted to go again. Besides, he thought he was heading to the basement? It kind of felt like this was taking a step backwards going up to the top. "What is...the point of this again?"

He heard Glynda Goodwitch give an irritable sigh through his ear-piece. "Student's at Lambent do not have access to the basement of Lambent. In fact, not even the faculty have access which means Professor Port also isn't allowed down there." Oh, that didn't sound very good. It sounded very, very restricted now. He didn't exactly want to go someplace Shirou Schnee of all people was trying to keep out. "I'm going to have you plug your scroll into the computer in Shirou's office. There should be a code in there that I can download to your scroll to get you access."

"Okay...what if I get caught? He could be in there. What am I supposed to say to him? What if he makes me play a game of cards? What if-"

"Cards?" Glynda cut him off, clearly confused.

Oh right, she had no way of knowing about his earlier interaction with Shirou today. If he was being honest, he wasn't even actually sure why he had stopped to talk to him in the first place. The way everyone else had treated him though...it just made him feel awful inside. No one deserved to be hated by everyone, especially their own students. Although Shirou didn't seem to mind at all and kept grinning away like there was nothing wrong in the world.

Didn't he care at all that he was stranded in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by people that wanted nothing more than to see him dead? Now that he thought about it, shouldn't he feel the same way as everyone else? Shirou had almost killed him...several times. Yet for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to hate Shirou.

That man had made him feel incredibly uncomfortable since he had first arrived here. Yet despite that, he had never really felt any ill-will towards him. He had been angry at him during the test, but even then he had never hated him. Why was that? He wasn't really sure, but he knew it couldn't be because of what Shirou claimed: that they were similar. There was just no way he was anything like a guy that had laughed about his mother's death.

Especially when the death of his own mother hurt him so badly...wait. No, no. She was alive. That's right. Maybe? He shook the thought loose as the elevator dinged, signalling that he had arrived. "I'm here." Jaune spoke just before the doors slid open. Cautiously, he took a small step into the office.

"Do you see Shirou Schnee?" Glynda asked impatiently into his ear. He didn't answer right away as he carefully peeked around the office, tiptoeing every step of the way, terrified that if he made even the smallest noise that Shirou would just materialize out of thin air. After inspecting every visible nook and cranny he allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief.

"I don't think he's here." He still couldn't be entirely sure. He never was with that man.

"Hurry up to his computer. Shirou is likely asleep but the less time you spend in there the better." He could agree with that statement. Just because Shirou wasn't here right now didn't mean he wouldn't be in any minute. There was no way he was going to be able to talk himself out of this and he had no desire to ever cross swords with him again. He walked over to the computer behind Shirou's desk but his finger paused and hovered over the power button.

"Won't he know someone tampered with his computer? I mean, that guy kind of notices everything." He had gotten fortunate in the past when sneaking around because Lambent wasn't set up with some kind of security system. There were no cameras, no alarms save for when Grimm were approaching, and no guards. In fact, there was no staff at all for Lambent except Shirou and the teachers. Everything here was maintained by the latest dust-powered androids the SDC had to offer. Surely though, Shirou's personal computer had some kind of protection on it.

Glynda scoffed in his ear. "Just turn it on and plug in your scroll. I will handle the rest. There is a reason Ozpin left me in charge tonight. There is no computer I cannot gain access to and not leave a trace. Shirou will be none the wiser so long as you hurry up." She clearly did not know Shirou. No matter how careful you were, he knew. Still, he was already here now. Once this was done, he wouldn't have to do anything else for a while. This was his last mission so he might as well just get it done and over. With great reluctance he pressed the power button and the computer began to boot up.

"Okay, it's turning on. Now what?" He asked while the SDC logo displayed across the screen.

"Is there a drive to slide your scroll into?" He checked it over and flipped open a small panel before he found what he was looking for. "Go ahead and plug your scroll in. I imagine the screen is displaying a password prompt now?" He looked up and sure enough it was. Even as he was looking at the screen his hand was sliding his scroll into the port. A small beep followed by a confirmation in the bottom corner of the screen showed that it had been connected.

"Okay...I think you're in."

"Shh!" Glynda shushed him harshly. "I'm concentrating." Okay, okay, geez. How was he supposed to know that? He'd never done crap like this before. Now that he thought about it, wasn't what they were doing highly illegal? It was incredibly hard to picture the ever by-the-rules Glynda Goodwitch being a capable hacker, yet here he was now and that was exactly what she was doing. Apparently there was more to her than met the eye. "Okay! I'm in!" Glynda gave a huff of exhilaration and he could even hear a small amount of pride in her voice.

"So what am I supposed to do now?" Jaune looked at the screen as it displayed the desktop background for only a moment before files started popping up left and right. Code whirled across the screen faster than his eyes could track and documents opened and closed at will, all without him so much as lifting a finger.

" _You_ aren't required to do anything, Mr Arc." Glynda reassured confidently. "I'm getting the code necessary to grant you access to the basement while also looking for any information on it that he might be hiding away." Okay, well that was kind of nice. He was glad she had control of all this. He certainly wouldn't have known the first thing to do. His family was a little old-fashioned and while they did have a computer it had been rather old and it was almost impossible to use it for more than a few minutes before one of his sisters kicked him off.

"So I might not even have to go into the basement if you get the information you're looking for from here, right?" He could at least be hopeful.

"Possibly. But it's not looking good. I can't find anything at all on the basement aside from the code to get you down there. It's unusual. It would seem like if there was something down there they would have at least some form of documentation on it. There's nothing though."

"Are you sure you're just not looking in the right spot?"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that." Glynda snapped dryly and he flinched. He could almost picture her scolding face even though she was on the other side of the continent.

"If there's nothing about what's down there though, that means there really isn't anything, right?" Even more than before he was beginning to think his luck was turning around. There wasn't anything down there after all which meant that he would well and truly be done. One day he would be able to laugh this all off as just a distant memory. Shirou wasn't hiding anything. He was just an asshole that the council had given a little too much power.

"We won't know for sure there is nothing until you verify with your own eyes, Mr Arc." Of course he would still need to go down there. "I'm done here. Go ahead and pull your scroll out and shut down the computer. It is absolutely critical that you leave everything the way you found it." Yeah, you didn't have to tell him twice. He would be extra careful not to disturb anything else. He just hoped his usual bout of clumsiness didn't choose to strike him in the next minute.

Once he was satisfied it looked like he hadn't been here at all he got to his feet and quickly made for the elevator. He didn't want to spend another second longer in this room. The elevator door rolled open and he practically leapt inside of it. Once in, he finally let out a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding. Somehow, he hadn't been caught. Somehow he had gone into Shirou's office and made it out without anyone knowing. Holy crap that was terrifying. Yang probably would've gotten off on the adrenaline but not him, he was about ready to have a heart-attack.

"Don't be so dramatic, Mr Arc." Glynda sighed at his theatric display, despite the fact that she couldn't see him. "Just focus on the mission. We're halfway done." Right, the mission. He supposed it was now or never.

He turned to the dial and looked at the list of buttons that were currently lit up. At the very bottom of the row was the button B1. Hesitantly, he reached forward and pressed it with a single finger. Like all the other times he had tried, a screen above the dial displayed, asking him for authorization. "What now?"

"Try holding your scroll up to it." Glynda suggested and he gave a small shrug before doing just that. A successful beep, followed by the words 'Authorization Accepted' displayed on the screen before he felt the elevator begin to move.

"I guess...that did it." That actually seemed kind of easy. Well, easy if he ignored the fact that he nearly passed out from the anxiety of being in Shirou's office and it was Glynda that had done the bulk of the work to get him this far. He had just been the legs.

"You can rest easy now, Mr Arc. Just tell me everything you see while you're down there. Once this is over you can get some well deserved rest." That was kind of odd. Glynda actually sounded...sincere while she said that. Perhaps she realized how much anxiety this whole mission was causing him? Just because she knew it was rough on him though didn't mean she nor he could quit. Ozpin was expecting results. Jaune wasn't sure what Ozpin was expecting to find but whatever it was, it was most certainly trouble. There was no other reason such a normally aloof person would go to such lengths to force him to do all these ridiculous things.

He turned his eyes back to the number on the elevator as they progressively counted him down to the bottom. He was nearly there now. He was just passing the third floor and coming down to the second. Just a couple more floors.

He passed the second floor and reached the ground floor of Lambent.

Just one more floor.

He passed the first floor and began to descend beneath the tower. And then continued lower. And lower. Seriously, was this thing going to stop anytime soon?

He opened his mouth to ask Glynda if this was something they had expected before a loud screeching noise filled the headset. He almost instinctively ripped it off but instead merely placed his hand over his ears in agony and managed to keep from doing just that. After several seconds the feedback subsided but he could no longer hear any noise coming from the headset at all.

"Miss Goodwitch?" He asked tentatively into the mic.

No response.

Great, just great. He lost her.

As if it couldn't get any better, the elevator gave a small hitch and he nearly fell to his feet from the unexpected shift. Oh crap! The elevator wasn't about to fall was it? He certainly hoped not. He had no idea how to even go about getting out of this thing if it did that. Quickly he scanned around for an exit but then the elevator began moving again.

Only this time something wasn't right. He was still going down, but the doors remained stationary. The very walls and ceiling to the elevator weren't going anywhere while the floor he was standing on continued to sink lower into the earth.

It wasn't like there were no walls at all anymore though. As he continued lower, the doors were replaced by a cylindrical glass tube. He could now see outside of the elevator and the entire view of the area beneath the tower became visible to him.

Well, he said the entire view but that wasn't quite true. His jaw slackened at the sheer enormity of the cavern he had descended into. Not that he was even sure cavern was the right word to describe this place. Directly above him was the metal base that he assumed Lambent was built on and a myriad of giant metal support beams to hold it up. Past that though, the cavern continued further and there was only rocky outcrop as far as his eyes could see before it vanished into the darkness. In fact, the only thing he had to see by were these eerie red lights built onto the sides of the support beams that dyed the whole area a sickly similar colour, including himself.

Needless to say he didn't like this place. He didn't like it one bit.

Where was that button to turn around? He would've hit it without a moment's hesitation but it had vanished along with the doors that he had left behind up top. There was absolutely no way for him to make this thing go back up. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to the bottom.

With a nervous gulp he peeked his head over the edge of the floor beneath him and was immediately struck by vertigo. He still had quite the distance before he would reach the bottom. At the slow rate the elevator was traveling it would probably be another couple minutes yet.

His breath quickened as the anxiety took over and his eyes darted for another escape route. Anything to free him from this fate. Why? Why did he allow them to talk him into coming down here? Was his secret really worth all this? Just freaking lock him up for all he cared. He could deal with a little bit of jail time for the forgery he committed.

Was this worth Blake's secret though? How was Ozpin even going to tell anyone out here about her secret anyways? Was he just going to call Ruby up and be say something snarky like "Hey Ruby. Jaune fucked up and didn't listen to me so I figured I would tell you that he faked his way into Beacon. Oh, and Blake's a cat Faunus. Have a nice day." Yeah...somehow he doubt Ozpin would say it quite like that but that wasn't the point.

Ruby might not care but Weiss...she would be absolutely furious. Especially since he had linked the two of them together. She had shared Semblances with a Faunus. Their whole team dynamic threatened to crumble apart if Weiss found out the truth. And Blake. She would hate him forever. He would be little more than a coward that couldn't even go downstairs. All he had to do was step outside, peak around and come back. Once the coast was clear he could say so. Then no one's secrets would have to come out.

And Blake wouldn't have to hate him. He wouldn't have to be arrested. Their team wouldn't have to fall apart. Did he mention how important it was that the girl he loved didn't hate him? Good, cause that was very important.

With a small hiss, the elevator crawled the last couple metres to the bottom where a glass pane slid open for him to walk out of. He gave a shaky breath. Okay, he could do this. He could do this. For Blake. Carefully, gently, he took his first step out of the elevator and onto the surface outside. It wasn't glass that he was stepping on but it felt more like some kind of plastic. Maybe some kind of durable plexiglass? He wasn't sure but whatever it was, the surface beneath him looked invisible.

Well, invisible if you didn't count the black abyss beneath him. He couldn't see anything at all beneath his feet and it looked like he was walking on thin air. What a creepy, horrifying feeling.

He continued for another few paces and turned his head away from the disconcerting floor-space beneath him. No matter how far he stretched his neck it just looked like more of the same to him. This plexiglass surface continued into the seemingly infinite darkness. He considered turning the flashlight on his scroll on if only to give him something a little more than just the red light provided by the pillars.

At the very least he needed to see how far this floor went. With a couple deep breaths he hastened his pace and began to scurry forward. He only got about five metres before…

Ba dump.

Something loud echoed across the entire cavern and caused the floor beneath him to shake. Not just that, his whole body shook from the force of whatever that was. He stopped hard and glanced around in fear.

That had sounded exactly like a...heartbeat. Only much bigger and much more powerful.

Slowly, he turned his head back towards the floor beneath him. As he did, a loud switch activated and a series of lights around the edge of the tube he was standing on clicked to life. Yes, he said tube because now that was very clearly what it was he had been running across. Another set of lights further down clicked on, further illuminating the tube and its contents. Then another row followed by yet another deeper down still. If he thought he had descended far before, that was nothing compared to how much farther he would go if the plexiglass he was standing on shattered.

Well, provided he didn't fall on top of that...thing directly beneath him. He couldn't even begin to try to fathom what that was. The only thing he could say was his earlier description of heartbeat fit perfectly.

Ba dump.

As if to prove his point, the wriggling black mass that was directly beneath him gave another pulse that shook him right to the very core and rattled his bones. This thing...looked like a giant black heart. A giant black heart encased in a equally massive container, like it was some kids science project. Only this wasn't any science project.

This wasn't something anyone should ever want to look at. It wasn't something anyone should ever have to look at. His eyes burned from having only just glanced at it. It was so grotesque just being in the very presence of this thing he felt bile building in the back of his throat and his stomach churn angrily in protest.

This thing was evil.

It was the very personification of pure evil.

He had to get away from it. He absolutely had to get away from this thing. He would just run back to the elevator. Pretend he never saw this thing. He would tell Ozpin that there was nothing down here. Hell, when he reached the top as far as he was concerned that would be the truth. He would use Arc Link and erase it from his mind.

Just this thing being in his memories tainted his very soul. He could feel himself being whittled away just by acknowledging its existence. No one should ever know about this. It could just stay buried forever for all he cared.

How was it even possible that mankind was still alive when something so twisted, vile, and ugly was beating in life just beneath their very feet? No, you couldn't call this thing alive. Certainly it looked like a heart and it had a pulse but this thing wasn't alive.

It was death.

If this thing ever saw the outside world that would be the end. Life on this planet would cease to exist. He didn't know what basis he had to believe such a thing. Just being this close to it was all the proof he felt he needed.

It was repulsive to look at. Yet the very nature of this creature demand that he look at it. He couldn't stand the sight of it yet he couldn't bring himself to look away. This thing...it defied all logic. It discarded rational thought as if it were gum to be scraped off your shoe. It was a paradox. It shouldn't exist and yet it existed. Jaune's mind felt like it was ripping itself apart trying to accept that as truth.

Finally he was able to tear his eyes away from it and he stumbled backwards as he nearly lost his balance from performing the simple act of tilting his head upwards. Static filled the outline of his vision and he clutched the side of his face in agony as a searing headache threatened to tear him apart.

He hadn't felt this much pain since that night he had first discovered Arc Link. Now that he was finally free from the hypnotic sight of the Grimm he had to get out of here. He turned towards the elevator and stumbled forward. He only made it another couple steps before he stopped hard.

Of course.

Of freaking course.

It was just his luck.

Now that he thought about it, why didn't he put two and two together earlier?

It was no coincidence that the lights just magically came on and allowed him to see this thing.

How did he not see it?

See that he had been allowed to look at it.

Allowed by none other than the man standing in front of him.

Shirou Schnee.

With the same perpetual smile as always and his slanted eyes, Shirou barred the path to the elevator. One hand rested on top of the hilt of his katana and the other hand was in his pocket fumbling for something. "Well, well, Mr Arc. It would appear that you have discovered Lambent's big secret. Congratulations. How does it feel?"

"Go to Hell." He needed to escape. At this point he would even fight past Shirou if he thought there was a chance he could actually make it out alive.

"My, my. Not very friendly now are you? I suppose it is only natural. The Omega does draw out the worst in people." Shirou said something unfamiliar as if he was supposed to know right off the bat what he was talking about. Shirou tilted his head when Jaune didn't respond and snapped his fingers as if he only just realised his mistake. "Oh that's right! Ozpin doesn't actually know about this thing. That keeps slipping my mind, how silly." He tapped the floor beneath them with the toes of his boot. "The Grimm beneath you is called The Omega. At least, that's what the Councils have taken to calling it."

"The Omega…" He tested the name slowly, as if sampling it. He wasn't satisfied. That name wasn't nearly rotten enough to describe the thing beneath their feet. The Grimm beneath their feet. "...This thing is a Grimm?"

Shirou nodded slowly. "What else would you call it? Something so sinister and evil that it makes even me look like a saint. Omega. It means the end. Every council-member that laid eyes on this thing agreed that was an apt description for it. If this thing were to ever get out of here then it would truly be the end as we know it." So the councilmen had seen this thing? What's more, it affected them in the same way it had affected him?

"Why are you telling me this?" Jaune didn't exactly want to hear anymore. He just wanted out. If he was going to have to fight Shirou and die to achieve that it was fine by him. Even death would be a merciful release as opposed to being within eyesight of this Grimm. The Omega. "If you're just telling me all this because you have to kill me now anyways then just get it over with already."

Shirou chuckled at his words and Jaune recoiled at the unexpected noise. How could this guy laugh in front of this thing? Was he so twisted a human being that not even this was enough to remove that smile and cheery disposition? Or was he so broken that it had no effect on him? "Kill you? Now why would I do that? You're by far the most entertaining person here at this school right now, Mr Arc. I wouldn't even dream of killing you. Now if it had been your partner, Miss Belladonna, that came down here like I expected then it might be another story but fortunately for everyone involved it was you."

"...Blake?" Jaune didn't understand. What did Blake have to do with any of this?

"Of course. Don't you see?" Shirou tilted his head curiously but Jaune really had no idea what he was talking about. "Oh my, you really don't see. Well, allow me to explain. I knew Ozpin was suspicious of me. Suspicious of this place. As you can now see he has every right to be. I knew he would send someone to try and discover its secrets. It only made sense such a cautious individual like him would want to understand the full scope of things before making any kind of rash move. He of course couldn't use Peter, I would be too quick to suspect him. Peter may seem obnoxious and boisterous, but underneath all that is a crafty, calculating man. Regardless, I kept my eye on him just in case he tried anything anyways."

"That meant that it had to be one of his students that would be conducting espionage for him. So I did a little digging into you all. Naturally, Miss Belladonna seemed the most suspicious. She's the one with a secret to hide, after all." He guessed he shouldn't have been surprised Shirou had also seen through Blake's bow. "I didn't have any proof of this of course. So I decided to try and trip her up, force her to make a mistake."

"That doesn't make sense." Jaune stopped Shirou and once more tilted his head in question. "You never did anything to Blake. The one you were always picking on…" His words slowed down as the truth dawned on him. "...was me."

Shirou nodded as he saw the understanding in his eyes. "Precisely. I couldn't single Miss Belladonna out. I didn't want her to think I was on to her already. I needed her to make a mistake, not become more cautious. I needed a way to unnerve her, but she didn't have many openings...just one."

Him.

"You're the only one Miss Belladonna has gotten close to since leaving the White Fang. I figured if I put just the right amount of pressure on you, I could crack her. Yet she never made any conspicuous blunders. Turns out that because the one I was picking on to get to her was the one that was actually the spy. How ironic!" Shirou laughed as if it was one of the funniest jokes he had ever heard.

Jaune grit his teeth in irritation. This son of a bitch. Unconsciously, he gripped the handle of Crocea Mors a little more tightly and his body tensed for combat. Shirou must have noticed because he took his own hand off the hilt of his sword and waved him down dismissively. "There is no need for violence today, Mr Arc. I have questions for you as you undoubtedly have questions for me. Why don't you say we call a truce and talk this out over a game of cards?"

"Cards?" Just as the question left his mouth, Shirou pulled out a deck of playing cards and slowly bent down to sit cross-legged on the ground before he began to shuffle.

"Yes, cards. You did promise me that we would play sometime. Why not right now?" He asked innocently and looked up at the blonde. Jaune could think of all kinds of reasons for why he didn't want to play right now. The most important one was still sitting right beneath him.

Ba dump.

Another heartbeat from the creature only seemed to accentuate his point. Still, Shirou remained unbothered. "If you really prefer, I can stab you in the heart like I promised on your first night here. I would really rather not do that to you though. I've grown rather fond of you, Mr Arc." Jaune grimaced but was still surprised by the sincerity he heard in Shirou's words. With a reluctant sigh, he walked over to Shirou before unceremoniously dropping to his butt in front of him, careful not to catch sight of The Omega beneath them.

"What game are we going to play? Go Fish?" He really didn't know why he let himself get suckered into Shirou's pace but somehow, the idea of doing something ordinary was actually beginning to calm his nerves, however slightly. Did Shirou know that would happen?

"As much as I would like to, we have much to discuss and I don't think you would care to be interrupted every couple seconds. How about something simple where we don't have to talk? You ever play War?" Jaune nodded. He used to play with his sisters all the time when they were younger. It wasn't particularly complex after all. "Excellent! War it is." Shirou appeared elated as he dealt the cards between the two of them.

Once the cards were all dealt and they both had their respective decks, they each flipped their first card. Jaune revealed an eight and Shirou a nine. Shirou took both cards and added them to the bottom of his deck. They then moved onto the next turn. As they played, Shirou once more began talking. "I will answer your questions first. I expect that you have quite a few more than I do."

"Hmm." Jaune grunted in acceptance as he lost yet another turn. "So...what exactly is this thing?" He tapped the plexiglass beneath them although he doubted he really needed to indicate what he was talking about.

"As I said, the councilmen call it The Omega. We believe it to be the ultimate Grimm species." Shirou responded plainly. He didn't say anything more than that though, things Jaune had already known.

With a tired sigh, he amended his question. "What is it doing here?"

"We found it here." Shirou's grin grew slightly bigger as Jaune's own face twisted in annoyance. After another second though he continued. "The Schnee Dust Company, my half-brother in particular, wanted to mine this land for its vast resources. In particular there is a considerable amount of Dust this far removed from society. He sent hundreds of Faunus workers and some hired Hunters to protect them. During one of their earlier excavations though, the earth gave way and a giant hole appeared. At the bottom of the hole...well, it was The Omega."

Jaune flinched slightly at Shirou's story. The first half he had already heard before on his first night here. Ozpin had informed him that this had been the location were several hundred Faunus workers had died when they were overwhelmed by Grimm. Apparently that hadn't been the whole truth, not that Ozpin had been aware...or had he? Was it because something about that story hadn't lined up from the beginning that Ozpin was suspicious? "So...you didn't try to kill it?"

"Oh, my brother tried to kill it alright. He dropped one of his precious Dust Nukes on it. Do you know how expensive those are to create? Billions of lien gone, just like that. And for nothing. It didn't so much as scratch the thing." Shirou chuckled again like it was funny. Jaune failed to see what was so amusing. This thing wasn't killable as far as their current level of technology was concerned. That was definitely no laughing matter. If they couldn't kill it what could they do about it?

Then another thought occurred to him. "This thing...it can't move, can it?" As far as he could tell, it was just a giant heart. No arms, no legs. And it didn't appear to actively try to be escaping from its imprisonment. In fact, he doubted it would've been possible to trap something this large if it had been moving around.

"It has shown no signs of movement...but my brother soon realised that he had more pressing concerns than this thing just jumping up on him." Well, that didn't sound good. "All other Grimm...they're attracted to The Omega like flies to a light. They charge at it relentlessly and go as far to ignore even humans to get to it."

"The Goliaths…" Now it all made sense. The reason they charged forward so carelessly, barely paying them any mind at all. Those Grimm should have been far more dangerous and difficult to kill but they hadn't even been trying to fight back. They had simply been trying to reach this thing.

"Not just them. You don't see it because you're inside but Grimm are charging at the tower nonstop all night. They never cease. It's only in case of the particularly big Grimm that the lasers can't kill that we need you to go out."

"Why though? Why do the Grimm want to get to this thing? What even happens when they do?" He didn't really see much purpose in the Grimm ganging up on this big thing. What were they going to try and do, move it? It was massive, probably bigger than Lambent was. There was no way.

"It absorbs them." Shirou said this with a small amount of glee in his voice and Jaune couldn't help but be horrified by the look on his face. "The Grimm run up to it just to get sucked in like some kind of twisted vortex. It looks like they're running into a wall of molasses, the way it sucks them in all meticulously."

"And they do this because…"

This time Shirou shrugged. "We assume it is because the Grimm know that this one can kill us all. Think about it, why else would they sacrifice themselves? It's always been with the single-minded goal of exterminating humanity that they do anything. It would make sense that this is no different. Once this thing absorbs so many Grimm...so much of that negative energy, it will evolve into something more. Then we as a race will cease to exist. That's what they think anyways."

Well, it certainly made sense. Jaune could see why they felt this way. That left one really important question though. "If this is so important...why us?"

Shirou let out a breath of air that Jaune could only really call a contorted laugh. "That is where things get a little convoluted, I'm afraid."

Jaune lifted an eyebrow at him and glanced away from their card game, his hand pausing just over his shortening deck. Shirou's smile faltered when he did that. "Alright, alright. You don't have to stop playing, I'll tell you." Jaune's hand flipped the next card and the two went back to their game.

"...So my brother's options had become pretty narrow. He can't kill The Omega and he certainly can't allow it to evolve. That only really leaves one option. Defend it. He needs Hunters for that, however. So he calls up the four Councils of the world and shows them this thing. They about shit themselves just looking at it. In fact, maybe you heard about it on the news, about that one Councilmen from Mistral that went insane and they had to lock up? Courtesy of looking at The Omega." This thing...could actually drive people to madness just looking at it? Jaune couldn't say he was surprised but that was still a horrifying idea.

"The councilmen pretty quickly reached one conclusion. The public cannot know about The Omega. In fact, no one can know about The Omega except themselves, and my brother. Do you know the mass panic it would cause if they saw this? Society very well might rip itself apart once they learned they can't even kill it. Surely you understand their reasoning having now seen it for yourself?" Jaune gave a small nod. What Shirou was saying certainly made sense. He felt part of himself being ripped away just being in its presence. It was taking every fibre of his being to focus on Shirou's story and on the cards in front of him and not on the horrifying creature beneath them which was still periodically giving off a random beat.

"How then-" Shirou continued. "-how do they get people to protect The Omega without telling them about it? They can't just pull Hunters from all over the world and not tell them why they're out here in the middle of nowhere, completely removed from society. They needed a justifiable reason. The manpower it took just to seal this thing was immeasurable. My brother had countless people construct parts of the container it is now in from all over the world. Then only a handful of trusted pilots to seal and bury it. Once that was done, they were able to construct the tower over top of it, but it was at this point they needed to give the people a reason."

"Which...is where I come in. I proposed that we use the facility as an advanced training program to raise Hunters. You kids are young and naive, most of you wouldn't even think twice about why you were out here so long as we claim it is an advanced curriculum. The schools were of course all for the idea of stacking themselves up against one another. Except for of course, Ozpin. He knew there had to be something going on. Aside from him though, the council saw it as the perfect solution."

"It's really a win-win for everyone involved. We get the best and brightest of the next generation of Hunters to defend The Omega so we're not pulling established Hunters from their posts within the kingdoms. After two years of training, we bring in a new wave of bright-eyed, clueless Hunter-wannabes, and those of you that survive get to graduate ahead of your peers. Meanwhile, the general public continues to live their lives in blissful ignorance."

"So all of this...is just for the sake of discretion?" Was that really...what Shirou was saying right now? Apparently so as he man nodded to his question. "What about the Grimm Killing Point system? Not to mention Razor Canyon. Was that really necessary to put us through? It sounds like you really need us here so why try to kill half of us and force us to go out on excursions just to get enough points to survive?"

"Constructing Lambent took time. Quite a bit of time. For the most part we simply had drones defending the workers. However, that meant the Grimm were multiplying exponentially while we were essentially sitting ducks. It was only a matter of time before we would be overrun simply by the sheer density of Grimm in the area. The laser defence system takes up a considerable amount of dust so the less frequently it is utilised the better."

"So Razor Canyon wasn't to kill half of us...it was-"

"To exterminate as many Grimm as possible in a single night while drawing them away from the tower. Precisely." Shirou finished his sentence for him. "The GKP system is in place to actively keep you children out there and hunting down the Grimm so I don't have to repeat such a game again."

Jaune's mind was sent reeling from all this information. Shirou...he hadn't been trying to kill them. In his own twisted way he was simply trying to help them. That certainly didn't excuse the horrible struggle he had forced them through that night and he had certainly appeared to enjoy watching them suffer. However, there was far more to it then Jaune had ever imagined possible. Including… "Because of that game though...everyone hates you. Are you really fine with that? Being hated because you were simply doing your job?"

Shirou snorted in amusement. "I didn't come out here to make friends with you brats. Although I must admit, I am enjoying this game of ours." He was only saying that because he was winning. Jaune was only a couple turns away from defeat now.

"Why did you come out here then?" Jaune didn't understand. Why would he risk his life to be out here? What if their hypothesis was wrong and one day this thing just evolved on its own and climbed out from this container? It would destroy Lambent in the process and everyone here would surely die. There would be no survivors. Then again, if this thing ever woke up it was highly probable no one on Remnant would survive period.

"I came out here because my brother asked me to."

"..." Jaune stared at Shirou in disbelief and his hand paused once more over his last couple cards. "...That's it?"

"That's it." Shirou reaffirmed.

"..."

Jaune still didn't move his hand so Shirou let out an irritated sigh. "The last time we discussed my past, I may have left out a small detail. It was indeed my father's car that drove down the street where I had collapsed. However, it was my brother that demanded they stop the car. To this day I do not know what his reasoning was that possessed him to do that. He didn't know who I even was. I must have just looked like some half-dead street urchin to him. But thanks to him, I survived that day. It is because of him I was able to live to see just how amusingly ironic life is. So when he asked me to come out here where I will almost certainly die, I didn't even hesitate."

That sounded really...twisted. Shirou cared about his brother that much? Was that also why he appeared to have a soft spot for Weiss? It was almost impossible to imagine this guy caring about anything, yet here he was for no reason other than because his brother asked him to.

With his questions answered, he flipped over his last card and Shirou won the game.

"Looks like we're one for one now, Mr Arc." Shirou picked up the deck and started shuffling it again. "Have I answered all your questions?"

Jaune's mouth twisted in a grimace as he thought about all the information he had received. Truthfully, he felt way too overwhelmed as it was. He didn't think he could handle anything more. Still, there was one more question he had. "Why tell me all this if you aren't going to kill me?" Of course, he didn't want to die but he didn't see what Shirou had to gain from this either.

"Quid pro quo." Shirou answered as he began dealing the cards between them.

"Gazuntite."

"..." Shirou paused for just a moment as he looked at him curiously before letting out a small chuckle. "...It means something for something, Mr Arc. I have things I require from you so I answered all your questions." Oh...well crap. No wonder Shirou let him go first. After how forthcoming he was, there was no way he could refuse anything asked of him now.

He finished dealing the cards and their second game began, along with Shirou's turn to ask the questions. "So what dirt does Ozpin have on you?"

"Huh?"

"Dirt, you know. What does Ozpin know about you that you don't want others knowing? I'm sure he's holding Miss Belladonna's secret over your head as well but there's got to me more to it than that. Am I wrong?"

"Oh...well, no. You're not wrong." Jaune shook his head and scratched his cheek awkwardly. He really didn't want to talk about this but he pretty much did owe Shirou information. He couldn't refuse his first question right off the bat. "So you remember how I said I didn't have any actual training? Well, I mean, I practiced a little in secret by imitating what I had seen my dad do. I wasn't nearly good enough to get into Beacon though...so I faked my transcripts."

"..." For the first time since they had started playing, Shirou paused and didn't flip his own card over. "So...you're telling me that not only were you not qualified to get into Beacon, but somehow you managed to pass their enhanced Initiation and got shipped off here to Lambent, the most remote, dangerous place in the world?"

"It does sound pretty awful when you put it like that." He really hated to admit it but that was pretty much spot on what had happened.

Shirou's smile twisted as he appeared to try and reign his emotions in but it was only a couple seconds before he failed and let out a small chortle followed by full-on laughter. His hand moved away from the deck and to his side to hold his ribs. "You...you might truly be...the most entertaining person...I've ever met." He was barely able to force those words out between his laughter.

"J-just ask your next question already, damn!" Jaune cried indignantly as he waited for Shirou to calm down and reveal the next card in his deck.

"Don't be like that." Shirou finally flipped his card and revealed the same number Jaune had displayed. "It's not like all your experiences here were bad, right? I hear tell you've gotten yourself a pretty girlfriend?"

"You know as well as I do that Penny is an android." Jaune grumbled as he placed two cards face down and revealed his next card.

"Congratulations. You're the first man on Remnant to date a robot." Shirou did the same but revealed a lower number.

"You know that's not what I'm saying! Did you have any other questions?" Jaune collected all the cards and added them to the bottom of his deck.

"Yes, yes." Shirou waved him off dismissively before playing his next card. "What do you plan to tell Ozpin when you go up that elevator?"

That...wasn't something he was sure about yet. He didn't really know what to make of all the information he had received earlier. Ozpin would know how to handle it better than he would. The thing was, he wasn't sure he could accurately convey what it was he had seen down here. What he was still just above and playing cards on top of. Unless you actually saw this thing, the pure horror of it couldn't possibly be described in words alone. The best he could do was try to make him understand but would Ozpin truly know how best to act without seeing it for himself?

"I suppose...I'll tell him what I can. I need to protect our secrets after all. Ozpin will know if I'm lying to him." He still couldn't risk upsetting the headmaster. He couldn't risk upsetting Blake if he messed up and tried to hide this.

"...Or you could just give him half-truths." Shirou offered his suggestion almost as if it were simply an after-thought.

"What?" Why would he do that?

"Tell Ozpin that you found an abandoned underground mine with some Faunus corpses and a Grimm. That is essentially what this place is and I'm sure there's a corpse or a hundred around somewhere. And you certainly did find a Grimm. You just don't have to tell him what one you found. Just say Grimm." That was certainly not a bad idea. He could do that...however, he didn't really have anything to gain from lying to Ozpin either.

"If I lie to Ozpin he's just going to find something else for me to do. He's convinced you're hiding something. Next time he'll probably send me outside the tower. As long as I tell him the truth, I'm done."

"Oh my, it would appear you misunderstood me." Shirou shook his head and for just a moment his perpetual smile twisted into a frown before it went right back. "I wasn't asking nor was I offering a suggestion. That _is_ what you're going to tell him."

"..." He really didn't like the turn this conversation had taken. He was supposed to be getting out of his freaking espionage crap. He was nearly out. He had found what Ozpin was looking for but now he had been caught. Just what...was he supposed to do in this situation?

"If I'm going to be frank, I like you Mr Arc. You are amusing." Shirou continued. "However, my brother has made his wishes very clear that he wants no one else to know about this. Well, if he found out that you knew...I can't promise even I could protect you." His threat hung icily in the air and Jaune felt his breath constrict. He could barely get his lungs to properly take in air, speaking was almost certainly out of the question. This was all too familiar. It was exactly like when Ozpin had first enlisted him to start all this.

"Ozpin will almost certainly continue to give you tasks once he regroups himself and decides on his next plan of action. Whenever he does, I want you to come to me and I will give you the information I want you to feed back to him. How does that sound, not bad right?" Jaune's heart sank. He wasn't done, not by a long shot. Things had only just gotten worse.

He couldn't refuse though. If Shirou ratted him out to his brother he would almost certainly die. If Ozpin ratted him out to Blake she would hate him. It was turning into a chain of which there was no escape for him. So with great reluctance, he barely managed to nudge his head in the most minuscule of nods.

"Excellent! Congratulations Mr Arc! You have now been promoted to a double agent!" Somehow, this wasn't the type of promotion he had ever wanted to receive in life. Unfortunately, that was exactly where he had wound up, and he had only run away from home a little over a month and a half ago. Man, what kind of a sick joke was that? Had his dad been right all along? Was the only thing that waited for him in this career pain and death?

"So…" Shirou snapped him out of his depressing train of thought with a long drawl. "...onto my next question." Oh great, there was more. "Do you mind if I call you Jaune?"

"...Huh?" Just what...kind of question was that? Certainly not one he had ever expected from Shirou. Then again, he hadn't been prepared for anything he had asked him yet. It seemed like everything he did was just to further throw him off his game.

"Well, we are compatriots now, are we not? Of course, I prefer that everyone call me by my given name...not that any of you seem keen to do so. I figure if we are going to be working with one another from now on in order to pull the wool over Ozpin's eyes, we might as well be on a first-name basis. Don't you think that establishes a nice level of trust between us?"

Jaune let out a tired sigh. "Fine, just do what you want. It's not like I really care what I'm called."

"Excellent, excellent. I shall call you Jaune henceforth." Shirou nodded several times in approval as they continued to play their game. "And of course will you refer to me from now on as Shirou. No more need for you to actively avoid trying to say my name like it is some kind of curse."

It wasn't like he didn't say it because he thought the name was vile or anything. It just felt really uncomfortable to call someone so much older and with so much more authority so casually. Regardless now, he supposed he would have to try. "...Shirou." He mumbled the name out like it was some completely foreign word that he was only hearing for the first time.

Apparently though, it satisfied the older man as his smile grew slightly bigger in size. "You see? That wasn't so hard. Now don't we feel like good friends? Just sitting here playing a nice game of cards together." Sure, it was nice if you ignored the fact that there was a creature directly beneath them that could end all life without a second thought.

Ba dump.

As if to prove his point another beat, one especially violent this time, threatened to knock his shrinking deck of cards over.

"I suppose I just have one last question for you…" Finally, it looked like this night was almost over. Then he could get the Hell out of here and away from this thing. "Do you still really believe you and I are so different now?"

He almost answered immediately. His mouth opened up halfway to give the same response he had given that night over a month ago. There was just no way in Hell he was anything like a man that had been glad his mother had died. Now that he knew why they were here though...and more importantly why Shirou was here, he suddenly wasn't so sure. So he clamped his mouth back shut as he considered his question.

It's not like either one of them were out here because they wanted to be. Shirou was here because his brother asked him to be. He was here because he hadn't wished to disappoint his teammates and because Ozpin needed him to be. There was no sense of self-value in either of their reasonings. They simply did it because others wanted it so.

He had thought of Shirou as a twisted and sadistic individual, but in reality he only acted that way in order to protect everyone from the harsh truth of what they were really facing. He...was no different in that regard. He lied to his teammates now constantly.

He didn't want to lie and with every additional one he added he hated himself a little more. However, what good would it do to tell them that every time they linked he felt himself whittle away a little more? What would they possibly gain from knowing he couldn't even remember his favourite food anymore, or the name of his mother, or how many sisters he had? It would only make them worry about something they couldn't fix. So he kept secrets and he lied all to cause them as little distress as possible. That wasn't any different than Shirou.

They may have gone about the way they did things differently and they almost certainly had a different ideal, but if the truth were to be told, Jaune felt that the more he knew about this world, the further his ideal Hunter became just that. Simply an ideal. It wasn't something attainable. It was just a fantasy. To him, Hunters had been those men that fought the ever-growing darkness with nothing but purity and light on their side. Now he knew the truth, the more you fought the darkness, the more it encroached upon you. It was impossible to not become tainted by it.

Shirou too must have realised this a long time ago. So had his own father. His father had been trying to keep him from becoming a Hunter so that he would never have to learn this cold, hard truth. Being a Hunter wasn't all glory and honour. Behind all that was fraud and deceit. Now Jaune could see it too, and his words growing up made more sense.

And so...there was really only one answer he could give. "I suppose...I'm more like you than I thought."

He wasn't sure what it was he lost, but he knew that a part of himself died inside when he spoke those words.

* * *

"I see. Well, if that is all you found I guess it can't be helped." Despite her words, Glynda did sound slightly relieved at the half-truth he had given her. If anything, maybe she just wanted Ozpin's suspicions to be wrong? After all, if he was wrong that meant there wasn't any real danger. Too bad he was right.

Jaune was riding the elevator back up now and was nearly to his floor. Shirou had opted to stay behind so Jaune could talk to Glynda immediately without arousing any suspicion.

He felt absolutely horrible, lying to her like this. He shouldn't have had to do this at all, but it was too late for regrets. He was already knee deep in those anyways. What did it matter if he added a couple more to the list?

"Well, thank you for your time, Mr Arc. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Yeah...you too." He tried to sound at least a little enthusiastic in his response. He was supposedly done for a while after all. He just couldn't find it in him to do that right now though. If Glynda thought his behaviour odd or suspicious she kept it to herself and ended the call without another word.

He slid the headset off and slipped it into his pocket before leaning back against the door. Just...what the Hell? He was now one of the only people in the entirety of Remnant to be in on a potentially world-ending secret and he was just expected to keep it that way for the safety of others. Now that he was away from it, his brain was a little less fuzzy and he was able to think on it a little more clearly than before. He pictured The Omega in his head for just a second and his stomach churned. He really just kind of wished he could erase that memory...well, it's not like he couldn't but now that he was working for Shirou he unfortunately needed to know about it.

Was there really no one he could tell about this? It's not like he couldn't tell Blake. She would listen. He didn't have to include the part about Ozpin knowing her secret. Maybe she could help him? No, he couldn't tell her. That thing...that horrible, disgusting thing. It hurt his head just thinking about it. How could he possibly put that same burden on someone else? He couldn't live with himself if allowing her to know about that thing caused her pain. Besides, Shirou might really kill her if he found out she knew. If he told her she might die.

He shook off the thought. He wasn't getting anywhere picturing Blake dying.

He just wanted to go to bed, maybe he would feel better after a good night's sleep? It was a little late for that but there was always tomorrow. He would finally just have some time to rest now. All he had to do was get off this elevator and go to his room. It dinged as he reached his floor. He was almost home-free. The door slid open and he moved to step out.

Finally there would be no more distractions-

-oh God damn it!

"So did you find what you were looking for in the basement, Jaune?"

Blake Belladonna stood directly in the middle of the hallway, blocking his path. He didn't know how that was even possible, the last he had seen her she had been asleep in the library. Apparently not as asleep as she appeared. Because now here she was, and she definitely wanted answers. Answers he just wasn't going to be able to give her, no matter what.

Even if he was going to have to become more like Shirou Schnee than he already was.

He just really hoped it didn't come to that.

* * *

 **AN:** Got my inner-Evangelion on this chapter.

Lots of answers given this chapter as well. Seems that two chapters in a row now have really been exposition-heavy. Guess that just means I had a lot to fill in before I can really start leaping the story forward. I apologize for the lack of other characters in this chapter. This is also the second time I've pretty much had a chapter dedicated to Jaune and Shirou talking to one another for almost the whole time. Of course, the last time was actually 11 chapters ago already...that feels so far away and yet it really isn't.

It is now my personal headcanon that Glynda is an accomplished hacker. Don't let her uptight disposition fool you, she's got a dangerous side.

For those of you interested, I've added a couple new story ideas I am thinking of possibly trying out in the future on my author page (borrowed the idea from Coeur's page). I can't guarantee that it would be anytime soon and it depends on how actively I'm working on Auburn, but if either idea peaks your interest, I would appreciate it if you let me know in a PM or something. If not, that's cool. Only if you want.

Otherwise, not much else for me to say as this chapter was pretty self-contained so I will leave you with that.

Next time: Can Jaune continue keeping secrets from Blake, even at the cost of their friendship?

* * *

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 23 - Worst_

* * *

Blake Belladonna had at one point fallen asleep in the library waiting for Jaune to wake up. She hadn't been willing to disturb him and he showed no signs of waking up anytime soon. So when the lights to the library automatically shut-off, signalling that it was time for the students to go to bed, she had simply folded her book closed and curled up in her chair.

She figured she would be awoken when Jaune got up, and she had certainly been right, however she hadn't expected him to wander off without even bothering to get her up as well. She would've been hurt if she hadn't heard him answer his scroll.

Someone was calling him...at this time of night? Perhaps it was one of his sisters? As far as she knew he hadn't been in contact with them since that night over a month ago. She focused her enhanced hearing on his conversation but she was almost sure she had to be wrong. Was that...Glynda Goodwitch on the other end?

"Ozpin had business so I'll be assisting you with tonight's assignment." That was certainly the deputy headmistress of Beacon. There was no mistake. And did she say Ozpin? Assignment? Just what was Jaune up to?

"Where else is there to even check in this freaking place?" Jaune whispered harshly into his scroll. She couldn't see him because she hadn't moved from her spot on the chair yet, afraid she would alert him that she was awake if she did.

"There is only one place left in the tower that Ozpin finds suspicious. Preferably, we would've had you go there from the beginning but since students' aren't allowed there it took us time to find a way to get you access. Now though, we believe we can proceed. If this doesn't work out it may be a while before we come up with another plan of action." The more she heard the more curious she became. Jaune was involved in some serious stuff, that was for sure.

"So...you're saying that after this I might be done for a while?" Apparently against his will. Were they coercing him into doing this somehow? But why? What was going on that they needed a student to be doing some snooping around? Perhaps a better question, why would they choose Jaune of all people?

"That is exactly what I'm saying, Mr Arc." Now that she thought about it, was this why he was so tired all the time? Was he doing this every night?

"Alright. Let's get this over with. Where am I heading?" He was starting to walk off so as quietly as she could she peaked over the top of the chair to see him heading towards the elevator. He wasn't going to come back to even check on her.

"The basement, Mr Arc. You are going beneath the tower." Beneath...the tower? Just what exactly did they expect to find down there? She did have to admit, she was curious from time to time about why it was restricted but had just assumed it was because there were some kind of power units down there or something. She hadn't ever thought on it seriously.

Regardless, Ozpin thought something was down there and Jaune was getting into the elevator to check. Should she...follow him? No, not a good idea. What if he stayed on the scroll the whole time with Goodwitch? She didn't want to risk exposing him. Besides, her chance was likely gone now. Even if she chased after him, she didn't have access to the basement even if he did.

That really only left one option. She was going to have to wait for him by their rooms. After over a month of gently trying to prod him to talk to her about it and she finally had her first lead on what had been causing him so much stress. It may have been by total accident that she had it and he certainly hadn't intended for her to find out this way, but at this point she couldn't be picky.

She just had to be forward with him. She just had to make sure that he knew she only wanted to help. He was stressed out and for good reason. Jaune wasn't a subtle person by nature. That was more her thing. She could help him, damnit! No matter what trouble he was in or what he had gotten himself into she would stand by his side for it. That was what partners did.

Just like how she had done for Adam?

She shook off the annoying voice in the back of her head. This was different than that. Jaune was different than that. Whatever he was doing, he was doing it because he felt he had to and was keeping it from her because he thought that was the best way to protect her. Adam had grown to the point where the only reason he did things was for vindication and in the end he would have gladly sacrificed her and just used it as further fuel for his misguided anger.

That was why she had cut links with him but would stay by Jaune. Now she just had to convince him to let her. He could be stubborn but now he couldn't claim that she was completely uninvolved. The fact that she knew anything at all made her at least part-accomplice.

So when she got to their hallway she leaned against the wall by the elevator and waited for him to arrive. And waited. And waited for a little bit longer. Then she waited some more.

Just what...was taking him so long? How freaking big was that basement? What if he actually found something? Well, that would make her wanting to join him just a little too late then, wouldn't it? It wasn't like she hadn't wanted to join earlier, she only just now was truly aware of what he was doing. Sure, she at least knew he had been snooping around but she had no idea it was nearly important as this or that Ozpin himself was personally involved. This changed everything and had she known he was into something this deep she would've pressed harder to assist him.

Finally she heard the elevator ding as Jaune got back from his incredibly lengthy search so she got up and stood directly in the middle of the hallway, spreading her feet wide and crossing her arms just to show him how serious she was about this. The door opened up and a predictably exhausted looking Jaune stepped out of the door, eyes angled towards his feet.

"So did you find what you were looking for in the basement, Jaune?" His eyes shot up to look at her in an odd mixture of surprise and...annoyance. Her brow furrowed as she recognized the emotion on his face. He had no right to look at her like that, if anything it was her that was annoyed with him. She wasn't the one keeping secrets, after all.

"You pretended to be asleep…" He whispered out accusingly and she felt her cat-ears flatten beneath her bow. It wasn't like she had intentionally done that. She had just happen to be woken up when he shuffled out of his chair. This was already not off to a good start. Regardless, she couldn't back down now. She wasn't here to accuse him of lying to her nor for hiding secrets. She just wanted to help.

"What did you find beneath the tower?" She asked again and he made a small grimace and his hands balled themselves into fists, almost as if he was recalling something he would rather not remember. His eyes darted back and forth and she could almost hear the gears churning inside as brain as he wrestled with how to proceed. The problem was, no part of him looked like he had even the slightest intention of opening up to her. If anything, he looked more like he was debating about the best way to shut her out. Or rather, how to continue to keep her shut out.

"Please don't ask me that again." His tone grew stern and commanding, the same type of voice he used when they went into combat against the Grimm. She wasn't intimidated by it, she knew he was just trying to put up a barrier so he could protect her from whatever it was he was doing. What she didn't know was what kind of threat Ozpin could be holding over his head that would make him so adamant.

"I can help you, Jaune. I don't know how or why Ozpin choose you to do whatever it is you're doing but even you have to realise that there isn't anyone that can help you better than me." Despite her words, she didn't sound pleading. She wasn't going to beg him to let her help him, she was just going to give him the facts in a concise manner.

"You can't help me. Not with this." Jaune remained resilient though, uncharacteristically so. She hadn't thought him capable of forming such an impassive wall around himself. Hell, they had only been together one day when he spilled his secret about his fake transcripts to her just because he felt like it would even the odds between them. How could he have gone from such a horrible secret-keeper to this absolute vault? It just didn't make any sense.

"Jaune...you and I are partners. After we faced that Chimera together and survived...I felt like I could share anything with you. I still feel that way. You must know that from my memories you have tucked away inside your head. It was you that taught me that sometimes our burdens are just too heavy to carry on our own. You've been getting progressively more ragged as this goes. It's only a matter of time before it starts affecting you out on the field. What if we come across a group of Grimm and you're too exhausted to Arc Link with us? You'll put us all in danger. I know you think you're protecting me but if you keep this up it is going to blow up in your face." She wanted to tell him to drop the chauvinistic act but calling him names wouldn't be doing anyone any favours at this point. "Just...let me help." She whispered that instead.

"..." He didn't say anything right away and she hoped that was because he was finally starting to come around and see it her way. Finally, he reached a conclusion of some sort as he closed his eyes and gave a very tired sigh. When he opened them back up though, he had one of the most complicated expressions she had ever seen him make. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, _I_ don't want _your_ help?"

She recoiled away from him like she had been physically struck. He didn't stop there though. "If you really want to know what I found in the basement so badly then, fine. I'll tell you." He gave a shaky breath and his hands shook horribly. "It wasn't anything exciting. Just an abandoned Dust mine. Maybe a Grimm, probably a hundred or so Faunus remains." Her eyes narrowed at the last sentence and her breath hitched. Faunus remains…

"What the Hell do you mean by that?" She clenched her teeth so hard she could hear them grinding together, his words clouding out every other thought she had before as she focused in on that last sentence he spoke. It repeated over and over again in her brain like a loop. Her concerns about what he had been doing were already forgotten and she didn't notice him struggle to form the next words before he finally continued.

"Oh? About which part? The abandoned mine, or-"

"You know which part I'm talking about!" She didn't particularly care if she woke someone else up.

"What? You mean you didn't know?" His voice was laced with uncharacteristic snark and if she had been paying attention she might have been able to hear the underlining tremble. "This tower was built over the top of a failed Dust excavation camp. We live on a Faunus slave graveyard. I thought that was something you would be aware of, seeing as you care to know so much about every time the humans screwed over the Faunu-" A loud slap echoed down the entire hallway and cut Jaune off as his face flung to the side and he stumbled back a step.

Blake hadn't even realised she had crossed the distance to him until she saw her own hand suspended in the air. Jaune's cheek had turned red and was swelling but it wasn't until he turned back and she saw the look in his eyes that it really registered what had happened.

She had just slapped him. He had _wanted_ her to slap him.

He knew that what he was saying would cause her to react without thinking...he knew those words hurt her. "Are you satisfied?" Her voice cracked and she felt a small knot form in the back of her throat. "All I wanted to do was help...but you just push me away, without any regard to how I even feel. Is keeping this secret so important to you that you would risk our partnership?"

"..." He stood up straight and looked down at her silently. His mouth made no move to open in order to defend himself or offer apology. Instead it remained locked in an impassive frown. His eyes told her that his mind was already made up. It had been made up for a long time apparently. He wasn't going to tell her anything and instead he was going to cut the connection right here. He was doing the same thing to her that she had done to Adam. The thought of such a thing made her irrationally angry. This wasn't how her friendship with Jaune was supposed to go. She had trusted him with everything. Thanks to him she was finally able to break out of her shell and attempt to trust people again. It was because of him she had formed bonds and friendships, some of them with people she had never imagined she could get along with. And he was just going to throw it all away, for what? No, it didn't matter what.

She didn't care any more.

"Fine!" She practically spit that word at him. "If you want to suffer and struggle with this by yourself, be my guest! See if I give a shit! Next time you get a hole in your stomach and fall off a cliff I won't come running to save your ass! Just...you can just…" Her breath caught and something caused her vision to blur out of focus. She rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her arm and found it became completely damp. She couldn't be here any more, she couldn't let him see this. She didn't want to let him know how much it hurt her. If he saw how much it hurt it felt like she was letting him win.

So she spun on her heels and with as much dignity as she could muster she walked over to her door before opening it and walking inside. She didn't even look back but her ears could tell he didn't take so much as a step to follow her. He hadn't even tried to make amends. He didn't care. He just plain didn't care.

As the door shut she fell back into it before sliding unceremoniously to her but. Her shoulders shook as she gave out a choked sob. Why did this hurt so bad? She had never felt this way before. Not even when she had left the White Fang, left Adam. She wrapped her hands around her knees and dragged them up to her chest before burying her face into them. She was an idiot, deciding to trust in someone again. She knew better than that but went and got emotionally involved anyway. Now he went and showed her why she had cut all ties with people in the first place.

This was the worst.

Jaune was the worst.

* * *

Jaune stood in the middle of his room and just kind of stared blankly at the wall.

His mind and body were numb.

Just what...had he done?

That had been to protect Blake, hadn't it?

Protect her from what? She was...he had made her cry. He had made her slap him, curse at him, _hate_ him. Was everything he doing worth this? Worth her scorn? If it had just been their two secrets he had been protecting...then maybe not. Definitely not.

How could he tell her about those now without possibly telling her what it was he saw in the basement though? How could he possibly tell her about The Omega?

Even if he ignored the fact that The Omega was the incarnation of pure evil and the very thought of it caused your mind pain and loss of sanity, there was also the very real possibility that if Weiss' father found out they knew he would have them killed. Jaune was only staying alive on Shirou's good will. He would lose that if he told someone and that would just put both of them at risk.

So he chose that instead? How was making her hate him any better? He would rather die than have her hate him. At least this way she wouldn't have to die along with him...it would be better if he just died on his own.

He didn't deserve to be alive after what he had just done to her. Pity and self-hatred whirled inside of him and boiled over the edge as he grabbed the sides of his head and gripped it tightly before letting out a bestial scream. He yelled and yelled until his voice cracked and it sputtered out to nothing.

Why? Why him? Why did all this happen to him? Why did he fake those transcripts? Why did he end up at this school far above his skill-level? Why did he have a Semblance that rotted away his memories? Why did Ozpin choose him to be a spy? Why did Shirou not just kill him? Why did something so evil like The Omega exist? Why did he have to make the girl he love cry?

His throat hurt and his vocal cords were strained but that wasn't enough. He hadn't been punished nearly enough. He glared around his room before he stalked over to his bed. He grabbed it by the headboard and with a mighty heave, he flipped it forward and sent it crashing forward into his door. His mattress fell to the floor as his pillow and blankets scattered. Just like a child throwing a tantrum he kicked at the mattress over and over again, ripping it open with the sheer intensity of his focused rage.

When his addled mind was confident he couldn't cause any more damage to the tattered material he whirled to his desk that was stacked with papers and textbooks. He knocked all of it to the floor and then grabbed his chair before chucking it at the wall, splintering it into dozens of pieces. He ran at where the chair had hit the wall and swung at it with his all his might.

The wall dented and his bones cracked. He didn't care though, he couldn't even feel the pain. He swung at the wall again as hard as he could. Then he punched at it again. With each swing he dented it a little further and left more of his blood that was beginning to fly across the room from the velocity of his swing.

As he did, his vision blurred out of focus and he realised he was crying. What a joke. What a fucking joke. He didn't have any right to cry. He, who had made Blake Belladonna cry. She was perfect. Her skin was flawlessly pale, and accentuated perfectly by her dark ebony hair. Those yellow eyes were like peering into an unshattered moon and her voice sounded smooth like silk caressing his ears. She was an absolutely flawless beauty and he had the audacity to mar that beauty by making her shed tears.

He was scum. The absolute worst.

What the Hell was he supposed to do now? Blake had been his closest friend. Without her he could already feel his mind slipping further into decay. Whenever he had felt his memories begin to fade away or when he started doubting whether his thoughts were his own he had only needed to look at her, talk with her, sometimes it was as easy as thinking about her before he felt his sense of self realign. It never had to be anything important. Just casual small talk about what they learned in class, that had been enough.

He couldn't explain it properly but it was like Blake was his anchor. Whenever he found himself drifting away she would pull him back. Now that he had severed their bond, had he lost that security? He wouldn't be able to talk to her any more because she hated him. He wouldn't be able to look at her simply out of shame. If he ever thought of her again he would just remember the tears in her eyes and the sting on his cheek.

As these things occurred to him he slid to his knees and his broken hand fell limply to his side, Aura already at work patching it up, mending the bones and sealing the skin. What if without Blake he lost his sense of self? It would be impossible to lie for much longer if that happened. He wouldn't even be able to remember which secrets were his own.

He needed...an alternative. Through his blurred vision he caught sight of Crocea Mors. Maybe... _she_ could help him? He didn't know how to get into contact with her though. After over a month of training he still had failed to so much as even get close to communicating with her. Before now though, he hadn't been desperate.

There just had to be a way to get her to appear again...how had he done it the first time? It wasn't like he had consciously called on her. It was like his Semblance had done it on its own because of the danger to his life.

Maybe that was it? He just had to recreate that situation? Easier said then done. He couldn't even remember what had happened. He did know that Grimm were involved. He also knew he had been on death's door. Well, he supposed there was nothing to it but to try it.

Not like he had anything else to do.

Slowly he got to his feet and ambled over to the door, his mended hand gripping the hilt of Crocea Mors. His door slid open but in the process he tripped over his blanket and slightly pulled it out with him. He kicked it off before watching his door slide closed. Then he made his way back towards the elevator.

There was a possibility that if he did this he would die. Was he really okay with that? It's not like he really felt like he had much choice any more. He needed to talk to her again, he just knew he did.

And if he just so happened to die in the process...well, he probably deserved it.

* * *

Ruby fiddled anxiously in her seat as she kept glancing back towards the door, not bothering to pay at all to Professor Port's latest rambling of another one of his grand escapades.

It wasn't because she found his rambling boring (although she did), it was because Jaune still hadn't shown up to class and it was nearly over now. He had been tardy before due to oversleeping but it had never been this late.

She hoped he was alright. He had certainly looked exhausted yesterday and had looked to be in dire need of sleep, which she knew for a fact he had been denied of for most of the day. He was probably just skipping so he could catch back up on his sleep. It wasn't like it was a huge deal if you skipped out on classes. Sure, they docked you a percentage of GKP for it which was kind of necessary to live but Jaune had a substantial amount right now and even if he did run out his team would always be willing to help him out.

Well, Weiss might let him suffer just to prove a point. She did not approve of tardiness or skipping of any kind no matter what the reason. He still had herself and Blake though so he should be fine. Regardless of all this, she was worried.

Even when the bell rang, cutting Ports lecture short, Jaune still did not show up. Not even waiting to hear Port's closing remarks she darted out of the room and into the hallway. All the classes on Lambent were held on the tenth floor of the tower, with a spiralling hallway that started at the elevator and worked its way to the back being the only passage between the four separate rooms.

She crossed paths with Blake everyday on her way from her first class to her second simply for the reason that they swapped teachers between their first and second hour. Even though she knew she would run into Blake without a doubt, she still made her way to her next class as quickly as possible in order to see her even just a couple seconds sooner. Hopefully she knew what was up with Jaune or maybe he had at least told her that he was going to be skipping classes today. Sure, she could just call him herself but she would have felt horrible if he was catching up on sleep and her call woke him up.

So she would just rather talk to Blake first and put all her concerns to rest. Odds are he was fine and she was just blowing this whole thing out of proportion like she always did. Still, she would rather be completely sure then have that small nagging feeling at the back of her mind the whole day.

She was in such a hurry that she almost missed her as she ran by. Blake wasn't exactly the most stand-out person as it was and the hallways were already completely ingested with students as they head to their next class but it seemed like she was trying to remain particularly invisible today with her head tucked down and her face obscured by whatever book it was that she was currently reading.

"Blake!" Ruby backpedalled before she caught up to her friend and teammate and continued to walk backwards, not paying attention at all to where she was going as she kept pace with her, forcing countless students to dodge around her. "Hey, Blake." Ruby repeated when she gave no immediate response.

"Hey." Blake mumbled, not taking her face out from the book. Ruby tilted her head in concern. Blake's voice had been hoarse and rough...it almost kind of sounded like she hadn't gotten much sleep either.

"You okay?" Ruby sped up just a little to get in front of her so she could block her path. Despite the fact that she wasn't able to see at all, Blake nimbly navigated around the younger girl.

"I'm fine." She answered simply, causing Ruby to puff her cheeks out in irritation.

"Well you don't sound fine." She jogged back up to her and this time pushed the book down in order to more strongly catch Blake's attention. The moment she saw her eyes she regretted the action. They were bloodshot and puffy, with dark bags under each one, meaning she had likely been crying last night and probably hadn't gotten much sleep. In her surprise she let her grip on Blake's book slacken and the older girl yanked it back up once more to hide her face before walking forward at an increased pace.

It only took another second for Ruby to snap out of it. "Blake! Wait!" She spun around and jogged back up to her. "What happened?" She whispered quietly, trying to have at least a little respect for her privacy.

"Why don't you ask your leader?" Jaune? Was Blake saying that he was the one that had made her cry? But why? He couldn't have done it on purpose but whatever kind of disagreement the two of them had it must have been bad simply going by the way she had referred to him.

"He didn't come to class. Do you at least know why?" Maybe he simply hadn't wanted to run into her today? She was clearly quite upset with him and knowing him he felt awful so was hiding away in his room.

"No. I don't care, either." Instead, that was all she merely said as she continued. Ruby slowed to a stop but Blake made no sign that she even noticed. In fact, she acted like the whole interaction had never happened at all and just kept on reading...or pretended to read. There was no way she was manoeuvering that nimbly through the crowd if she was actually reading a book.

Now Ruby had a choice. Blake was certainly not going to give her any more information. So she could either save it for later and go to class. Weiss was in her next period so maybe she had heard something? Or...she could skip class and go to Jaune's room. Maybe he would tell her more than Blake was willing to?

"..." She thought about it for only a moment before realising that her mind had been made up the moment she saw Blake's eyes. She needed to go see Jaune as soon as possible. Without another moment's hesitation she turned around and bolted back towards the elevator.

As she ran past the classroom, a curious head poked past the door before calling after her. "Hey Zippy! Class is this way!" Sun was already backing out of the room as she slowed to a stop.

"I have to go check on Jaune! I might be a little late! Let Weiss know for me!" She had already turned around and took off running again.

"Hey! Wait!" She ignored his call. Getting to Jaune right now was her top priority. She couldn't afford any distractions. Now if only this elevator wasn't so darn slow. She mashed at the button repeatedly as if it was going to make it magically get here quicker.

As she did, she heard a couple different footfalls as two people jogged up to her. She turned her head to see Sun and his partner, Neptune, just as they slowed to a stop behind her. "I told you to let Weiss know. She's going to get really mad if she thinks I'm skipping."

"Relax, relax. We let her know." Sun waved her concern off with a dismissive wave of the hand.

"Yeah, but she didn't look happy." Neptune's words caused her to cringe on reflex. "We figured we would come with you. Class is overrated anyways."

"Says the nerd."

"Uh puh pup! Intellectual!" Neptune corrected with a semi-serious glare and a finger extended in the air to emphasise the point.

Ruby let out a small smile at the silly interaction. She supposed it wouldn't be too bad to let them tag along, it's not like they were going to slow her down any more than this elevator was. Just as she thought that it finally arrived and the three of them got inside.

"So...what's up with Jaune?" Sun's tail twitched curiously and Ruby tilted her head as she considered just how much she should tell him. He was a good-natured guy as far as she could tell, but he also had a serious infatuation for Blake that even she noticed, which means any form of subtly or tack was pretty much non-existent with him. So if she told him she thought Jaune might have made Blake cry, well then, she wouldn't doubt it one bit if the moment he laid eyes on Jaune that he punched him in the face.

"He just didn't show up to class, I'm worried." So instead she just told him about what had sparked all this to begin with. No need to make things more complicated than she needed them to be. At least not until she knew the whole story.

"That's it? What are you, his sister?" Sun said it jokingly but it wasn't much of a stretch to say that she felt a strong familial bond with Jaune. He was always looking out for her while they were on missions in a way not unlike how her own sister used to treat her. Now it was finally her turn to return the favour.

The moment the elevator arrived on their floor she took off down the hall before the door even opened completely. She ran up to Jaune's room and knocked on it as loudly as her little knuckles would allow. "Jaune! Are you okay? Classes already started! You missed Port's lecture!" As soon as she finished yelling she pressed her ear against the door to see if she could hear anything inside. Nothing. Not even someone shuffling around let alone his voice call back in response.

"Is he even really in there?" Sun asked as he and Neptune finally caught up. Ruby could only shake her head. She didn't know and really had no way of knowing. Without the scroll code to his room it wasn't like she could get in.

"Doesn't this door look kind of off?" Neptune inquired and she turned to see him staring peculiarly at it.

"Dude, you're like so OCD about everything. This door is just as normal as the rest of them."

"I prefer cleanly. And if you would open your eyes for once you would see that it's slightly ajar. Look." Neptune pointed toward the floor and they both turned down to see what he was looking at. A small piece of a blanket was sticking out into the hallway, just enough to keep the door from properly sliding closed but not enough to be easily noticeable.

Without missing a beat Ruby bent down and pulled at it. To her immediate relief it had the desired effect and the door clunked before it slowly began to slide open.

That relief almost immediately gave way to horror.

"Oh shit…" Sun mumbled, verifying that she wasn't just seeing things.

Jaune's room was a wreck. His bed was flipped over, textbooks and papers scattered all over the floor, a chair in pieces, a part of his wall was dented and trace amounts of blood were splattered across the wall and floors.

Jaune was nowhere in sight.

"He's not answering his scroll." Sun cursed in annoyance.

"Uhh...I don't think she should be seeing this." Neptune rested a hand on her shoulder and attempted to gently shift her away from the horrifying sight in front of them. The moment he did though, reality kicked in and Ruby's entire being permeated with rage.

She would make whoever hurt her leader pay. She would rip them into pieces. It took all of her remaining temperament not to unlatch Crescent Rose right then and there.

She didn't know who had done this...but she definitely had a number one suspect.

* * *

"Hey Zippy, wait!" The younger girl that was storming back off towards the elevator. Great, just great. Now where was she going? "Ruby!" Sun called her real name this time but she still gave no response.

He turned helplessly to Neptune but he could only shrug in response, just as clueless as to what to do in this situation. Damnit. Not having much choice, he hurried after her and left behind the disturbing scene that was Jaune's room. It almost looked like some kind of kidnapping had gone wrong in there.

The elevator door opened up and Ruby stepped inside before mashing the button to take her to another floor. Sun and Neptune barely managed to race inside before it closed shut on them. "..." They both glanced silently at one another and gestured as vaguely as possible for the other to say something to the enraged girl in front of them. If she saw any of it, she didn't say anything and continued to stare at the door in silent fury.

"So…" Sun finally caved first and turned to her. Her hand twitched causing him to jump back but otherwise she made no other sign that she had heard him. "...where are we going?"

"To make Shirou Schnee talk." She spit the name out like it was some kind of curse.

"Right...I'm not sure I follow." Sure the guy was a jerk, but it wasn't like he was going to sneak into one of his student's rooms and murder them in their sleep...right? At the very least the guy seemed like he would be clean about it, efficient. If he wanted you dead, Sun had no doubt he could do it and make sure no one ever knew. Ruby was just irrationally angry right now and not thinking straight...but she also had a giant farming tool hanging off her hip. No way in Hell was he going to come between her and her accusations so long as she had that thing, no matter how biased they were.

They arrived at the top floor of the tower and the elevator opened up to Shirou's office. The headmaster was behind his desk, checking out something or another on his computer before Ruby strolled fiercely into the room. "Oh, Miss Rose. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Shirou greeted in his normally cynical-sounding voice.

"Where's Jaune?" Ruby was already reaching for Crescent Rose as those words left her mouth.

Shirou tilted his head curiously at her question before responding in a sarcastic tone. "Why, I believe he is in clas-"

A loud bang echoed across the room, cutting Shirou off.

"God damn!" Sun jumped backwards in the air and hid behind Neptune just as the front of Shirou's wooden desk exploded into pieces, sending wood chips flying in every direction.

"Wrong answer!" Ruby pointed the barrel of her gun at Shirou's head this time. And he thought Yang got volatile when upset, he could see now without a doubt that this girl was definitely related to her sister by blood. This was freaking nuts!

Shirou didn't appear to react outwardly at all and kept completely calm as he checked the hole in the front of his desk. "I do hope you know it is going to cost you quite a bit of GKP to repair this for me." She fired another bullet, this time right at his face. He easily dodged by tilting his head to the side and a small dent appeared in the steel wall behind him. "Fine, fine. Not very friendly now, are you? I'll play along with your little game since I like them so much. Why do you believe I have anything to do with the supposed disappearance of your beloved leader?"

"Who else would it be?!" Ruby continued to keep the barrel of her gun pointed right at him, and Sun saw her trigger-finger twitch anxiously, just waiting for Shirou to give her another reason to shoot.

"Here. I can solve this for you. I have tracking devices implanted in all your scrolls. It won't tell me what floor he is on but it will show you that he is safe and sound here inside the tower." Shirou sighed as he began manoeuvering through screens on his PC. Just under his breath, Sun could've sworn he heard him mumble. "And I had almost beat my record in minesweeper too..."

"Wait, you can track us? Not cool man." Neptune complained aloud, oblivious to the ridiculous thing Shirou just said.

"Really dude? That's the first thing you say after Zippy here blew a hole in the desk?"

"Says the guy hiding behind me."

Shirou made a small snort of amusement at their banter. "The tracking is hardly for as sinister a purpose as you imagine. It is for when some of you inevitably succumb to death I can send out a cleanup crew to reclaim your bodies. Your families would at least like a little something to remember you by, even if it's just an arm or toe." Sun didn't know what kind of definition Shirou had for sinister but that sounded completely within the realms of his own definition for it.

"And here we are, Jaune is...huh, well I guess he's not in the tower." Shirou actually sounded sincerely surprised by that information and Ruby's gun lower just a smidge. Not a lot but at least it was something to show she wasn't just going to go blasting all willy-nilly again.

"Where is he?" Her tone wasn't any less harsh though.

"One second…" Shirou's fingers were flying across the keyboard as he tried to find the answer to her question. "Oh, well that's not good. Not good at all."

"Seriously, dude. Just spit it out." Sun grumbled from behind his pal.

"He's gone past Razor Canyon...and into the Valley of the Ancients." Okay...and what exactly was that supposed to mean? Shirou must have seen all their confusion because he continued to elaborate. "When Jaune fell to that Cackler, he tumbled into a passageway. That passage connects to one of the most dangerous locations known to mankind. It's infested with ancient species of Grimm that have all been alive for centuries...needless to say, it is not a pleasant place to be. Fortunately the Grimm down there cannot leave due to the sheer limited number of passages out, but if he was to go in there…"

"I'm calling Weiss. We're going after him." Ruby was already pulling her scroll out but before she could hit the send button, Shirou had crossed the distance between them and placed his hand over her screen.

"I would appreciate it if you did _not_ drag my niece to such a place." For just a moment, all the humour in Shirou's demeanour was gone.

Ruby's face twisted in annoyance before she let out a small huff. "Fine. Then I'm going after him myself." With that, she turned on her heel and left.

"Oh not again. Ruby wait!" Like before, she didn't pay him any mind. He turned once more back to Shirou. "You're just going to let her go?"

"It is not my place to stop any of you from leaving the tower, especially if it contributes to the amount of Grimm you kill. If you just so happen to die while out there...well, I will miss Jaune but he must have had his reasons." Shirou spoke with complete disinterest that made Sun feel sick.

"Dude, the doors closing." Neptune sprinted for it and just barely managed to keep it open in time.

"If you're coming then hurry up. Jaune needs help." Ruby tapped her foot impatiently as she folded her arms.

"Ah...damnit!" How the Hell did they get involved in this? He had just been looking for a fun excuse to get out of class for a while. Still, Jaune was his friend. He couldn't just abandon him to the wilds to die.

Blake had really better appreciate this.

He got in the elevator with the two of them and it began to take them to the bottom floor. "Maybe we should call Sage and Scarlet?" Neptune offered but Sun shook his head. There was no way Ruby was going to wait for anyone else. Hell, if she could have she would probably cut a hole in the bottom of the elevator just to get to the ground floor faster.

Unfortunately for her though they had to wait as the elevator moved agonizingly slow to the bottom and when it finally did let them free she was practically like a dog scratching at the door to get out. "This is actually kind of nostalgic." Neptune mumbled as the hurried behind her down the hallway. "It was only last month I was running out this same door to come save your sorry ass."

"Pfft, I had it under control." Sun scoffed just as they reached the outside of the tower. "Alright now, Zippy. I know you're anxious but we need to stick-"

A loud hum and a swirl of roses later and Ruby vanished.

"-together…" He finished lamely. He turned to Neptune just as he was turning to him.

"Weiss is going to kill us."

"You're worried about Ice Queen? I'm way more terrified of what her sister is going to do to us."

"Oh yeah...her." They could just picture Yang standing behind them with a fiery aura and evil red-eyes that put the Grimm to shame while cracking her knuckles.

They both turned to see Ruby already far off in the distance and took off after her at the same time.

"Ruby! Please wait!"

* * *

 **AN:** Alright, so this chapter.

I'm sure quite a few of you hate me right about now.

This chapter did get pretty dark as I effectively ruined their friendship. I did attempt to pad that out with some more humourous moments in the second-half but I'm not sure if that was really all that effective as that fight as left a pretty dark cloud over Jaune and Blake. Will they fix it? Well, yeah. I mean, this is a Jaune x Blake story even if I'm taking my sweet time getting to that part. They have a couple more bumps in the road yet and this is an important character-arc for Jaune to go through before he's capable of even considering a relationship with the girl he loves.

In other news, thanks to everyone that responded to one of my ideas that I posted on my author page. It actually helped me get motivated enough to go out and start another multi-chapter story.

Next time, Jaune's efforts to find his predecessor don't go as well as he would hope.


	6. Valley of the Ancients

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 24 - Alone_

* * *

Dawn was just finally starting to arrive when Jaune stumbled up the wide gap in the earth that was Razor Canyon.

The first rays of light illuminated the massive crevice beneath him and the thorny vines elicit feelings of nostalgia, not all of it pleasant. It had been here that he had fought for his life in what was supposed to be an event only half of them would walk away from alive. It was here he had fallen to his "death" and where he had awoken his Semblance. If there was going to be a place he could reconnect with _her_ again than it would be here.

This venture would hopefully be worth it. Sneaking past the Grimm hadn't exactly been an easy feat...although it was made simpler now that he knew the truth. The fact was, the Grimm out here weren't looking for him. They weren't looking for humans at all. They were searching for The Omega. That massive, evil entity beneath Lambent. So long as he stayed out of sight the Grimm more or less paid him no mind.

He began to look for the easiest way down into the canyon. The part where they had once battled was easily noticeable seeing as the vines were shredded apart by that Wyvern that had dive-bombed them and set fire to half the place.

He nor his teammates had been privy to its grand entrance as they had been rather preoccupied with Shirou at that moment. At least that was a part where all the memories inside of him managed to agree. Something that was becoming increasingly rare since last night's argument.

Finally he reached a part unmarred by battle and jumped down to the highest vine where he landed rather roughly, nearly stumbling right off of it and further into the canyon.

Well, that had been close. At least there weren't any Grimm for him to disturb this time.

Just as he finished that thought, a myriad of angry buzzing erupted from beneath his feet. Oh damn...why did he have to jinx himself?

A swarm of giant-wasp-like Grimm flew up from in between the vines beneath him. He didn't like the look of them one bit, not that he ever enjoyed the sight of any Grimm that he came across. Most of these guys were taller than he was, with stingers as thick as his arm. Instead of yellow stripes they were covered in grey Grimm armour.

As slowly as he possibly could, he checked his scroll as it updated him with the information of what he was facing. Mellona, that was what they were called. Their weakness was the black stripes in between the white armour and apparently they could launch their stingers as projectiles.

Wait...what?

Just as he read that last bit he heard several thunks followed by the sound of the stingers whizzing through the air right at him. Oh crap! Acting on reflex alone he popped open his shield with his sword still sheathed inside. Not a second later and he was battered backwards as the stingers ricocheted off of it while others buried in the vines just next to his feet.

Yeah, screw this. There were several dozen of these things and as long as they stayed in the air he had no way of fighting them from down here. He didn't have a gun attached to his sword nor was he capable of using Weiss' glyphs without being able to link to her.

Now that he thought about it, he was pretty much useless without his team. Wow, what a horrifying realisation. He had really thought he had been improving this past month only to figure out just now that when he was all on his own that it was just one big lie. Sure, he was quite capable when he had all his friends' powers to borrow from. In reality though, without them he was still garbage. No wonder he always lost to Penny in combat practice.

It wasn't that she was insanely strong (although she was), but it was also that he was unforgivably weak. He had forgotten this fact because he was constantly surrounded by strong people. AWBR had often been referred to as the strongest team at Lambent. The reason for that though was because alone his teammates were already exceptional individuals. When given access to his huge reserves of Aura though, they became an unstoppable force. Just what did that make him though...nothing more than a battery really. An Aura battery to be precise.

More stingers bounced off his shield and jarred him back into reality, away from his self-depreciating train of thought. Right, he could question his self-worth later. First he had to survive long enough to be able to question it. He sprinted for the edge of the vine he was on and jumped off. One would have thought that after a month and a half of being a Hunter-in-training he would've gotten used to the feeling of freefall, especially seeing as...well, he seemed to jump all the damn time. This was not the case however and the feeling of falling through the air still terrified him as much as it had that time he had been forcefully ejected off the cliff and into the Emerald Forest during Beacon Initiation.

The only difference now was he had a landing strategy where as opposed to back then he had just been forced to wing it. Not that he could really call what he had planned a strategy. He was pretty much just hoping that his Aura would be strong enough to cushion the blow when he landed and keep the bones in his legs from snapping like twigs. He didn't really fancy the idea of being a sitting duck while all the Grimm swarmed him.

Fortunately for him, the next vine wasn't too much farther down and while the fall would've been fatal to anyone without an unlocked Aura, he had such vast reserves of it that when he landed there was barely even a dip in it. Not that he could exactly call what he did a landing as he stumbled forward to his hands and knees, dropping Crocea Mors in the process where it tumbled just a couple metres in front of him.

He kicked off the vine and dove after his shield and not a second later heard several loud thunks as more projectile stingers occupied the spot he had just been. He grabbed his shield and rolled to his feet before sprinting down the vine, which dipped further into the Canyon. Predictably, he heard the Mellona give chase. Just typical, he supposed it would've been too much to ask for them to just give up, huh?

More thunks as the stingers continually buried in the ground only a single step behind him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw one of the Mellona grow impatient and dive bomb right at him. Perfect. Well, not perfect but if he was ever going to have an opportunity to counter-attack it was going to be now.

He retracted his shield back into a sheath and slipped it onto his hip just as the Grimm reached him. It flew in from the side and attempted to jab him with its stinger, but with a quick twist of his upper-body he slipped right under it. Just as it passed over him he spun completely around and jumped upwards and grabbed hold of the Mellona.

It let out an angry hiss and the pincers on its face jabbed at his head. He ducked and just barely managed to keep his own face from being mangled. Its stinger attempted to jab at his legs but they were flailing too wildly for it to get a good strike in. While it struggled to kill him, he rocked back and forth until he had enough momentum to swing himself onto its backside.

Once there, he wrapped his arms around its neck and his legs around its body. Its wings buzzed rapidly into his sides, causing them to ache but he ignored the pain and tilted its head up, forcing it to fly towards its brethren. It flew directly into the middle of all them and he had hoped that while he was on one of their own they would cease firing their stingers. He was immediately proven wrong as dozens of them flew past him from all directions now. So much for that. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised. So long as they managed to kill him they didn't care how many of their own died.

He had to act quickly if he was going to survive this. Fortunately, he had just the thing to pull this crazy plan off. While he kept one arm wrapped around the neck of the Mellona, the other fished into his pocket for a couple vials. It wasn't an easy task while the Grimm shook violently from side-to-side, trying to debunk him. Then he still had to dodge the constant barrage of stingers on top of that.

Perhaps inevitably, he gave a cough of blood as three stingers buried themselves into him, two in his back and one in his leg. Okay, he really needed to grab those vials, now!

Finally he managed to pull them out and as he glanced to check their contents a small flood of memories not his own invaded his mind. Just before he had met Ruby, she had bumped into Weiss and accidentally knocked her Dust over. When two of the chemicals had mixed together it had created a rather...volatile reaction that left a crater in the ground. Later that day, Weiss was forced to meticulously find what Dust was no longer accounted for. The result of these two memories together was him now knowing how to make an effective bomb with very little Dust. The problem with this method was he couldn't exactly control the blast radius and he had no way of knowing if he would be caught up in the explosion or if it would even be big enough to kill the dozens of Grimm buzzing around him.

Nothing to it but to do it. The Grimm had converged around him in a tight circle as they tried to finish him and the one he was riding on off. Another couple stingers met their mark but this time they killed the Mellona and missed him.

Taking a deep breath, he let go of the dead creature and allowed himself to fall towards the darkness below. As he did he tossed one of the vials gently into the air. Then he wound his arm back and whipped the other one at it as hard as he could. They smashed into each other and the glass shattered as the Dust inside intermingled…

...and caused a massive explosion.

Not a single Mellona was able to escape the massive blast. Unfortunately, it was also threatening to engulf him in it now too. "Typical…" He muttered under his breath as he redeployed his shield and held it in front of him.

The heat from the blast careened into him and his descent was accelerated far beyond his levels of comfort due to the force of the blast as he rocketed towards the lowest depths of the canyon. If he didn't do something to slow his descent soon then he was quite sure his Aura wouldn't even be able to keep him from turning into a red splat on the ground. He twisted in the air to look below and saw the gaping hole where he had fallen once before just to his left. He angled his descent towards it and skipped the upper floor of the canyon altogether.

If his memory was right, there should be a fairly deep pool of water beneath him. Not that it did him any good if he hit it at his current velocity. He needed to change his landing strategy in the next couple seconds or this wasn't going to have a happy ending. What was he supposed to do though? He couldn't create glyphs. He couldn't leave behind clones. His only ability by himself was browsing through his teammates old memories. Not exactly helpful when plummeting to his death.

...Wait a second.

While it was true he didn't necessarily have a glyph to jump off of, it wasn't like he didn't have a platform he could use. A small shimmer of light beneath him told him he was running out of time. Reacting fast, he flipped his body so he was descending feet first and placed his shield beneath him. He channelled his Aura into his feet and felt that Aura flow into his shield as well. It began to give off a golden glow and he felt his feet stabilise on it.

Okay, so far so good. Probably. He gave another quick glance down and saw the glowing pool of water was only about five metres beneath him. Now or never. He bent at the knees and kicked off the shield, sending it spiralling towards the pool where it made a loud splunk. Meanwhile, his trajectory changed completely and he flew sideways through the air before falling much more slowly than before to the surface. He tucked into a ball and gave a small role as he hit the more shallow section of the pool and rolled to his feet.

His left foot almost immediately gave out on him and he collapsed to his hands and knees. With a pained grimace he turned to see that those three stingers from before were still planted firmly in his back and leg. Utilising his Aura, he focused in on the spots where they were and slowly they were pushed out of him. With three loud splunks, they fell out and into the water. He gave a relieved sigh as he watched his skin already healing. It certainly was handy having so much Aura. He turned back and retrieved Crocea Mors before once more taking in his surroundings. This place wasn't much different from the last time he had been here.

The base of the pillar he had once fought on was cracked and he could see the end of it now due to the fact Shirou had destroyed it during their battle. Pieces of rubble were scattered throughout and it took him a minute, but he located the rock his predecessor had once sat on while they had talked.

Predictably she wasn't here now. He waded through the ankle deep water and gently rested a hand on the rock. So...now what? He had got here but he wasn't entirely sure what to do now that he was. He had just kind of been hoping that by coming down here she would reveal herself to him. That was obviously not the case.

He gave a reluctant shrug and sat down on the rock, hoping that maybe it would cause some kind of synchronisation between them if he sat exactly where she had been.

...Nothing.

Okay, well that was pointless. He cleared his throat and cupped his hands over his mouth. "Hello! Miss…" What should he call her again? "...Memory?" It came out of his mouth as more of a question than anything as it echoed around the cavern.

Still nothing.

So he closed his eyes and focused, drawing out as much of his Aura as he could. He felt his whole body became encased in its golden glow but he felt nothing like a connection form with someone. Still, he opened his eyes on just the off chance she had appeared before him.

Yet again, nothing.

Well...what had he even bothered coming down here for?

Seriously, that fall had almost killed him and he pretty much didn't have crap to show for it. He was no closer to meeting his predecessor nor getting his questions answered.

Yet again he wondered...now what?

Should he just go back up? That seemed kind of anticlimactic. He had come all this way, it would be just embarrassing to return without any results. Especially since he came to such a place that really didn't have good memories for anyone involved.

As he debated this, he felt a small draft of wind wash over him and he curiously turned his head towards the tunnel the Hydra had chased him through. That was odd. Did this place have an exit other than going up? That seemed impossible. Where would that draft be coming from then? Maybe it was a sign and his predecessor was trying to get a hold of him? Most likely not, but he could at least try and be optimistic, couldn't he? At this point he could really use the uplifting feeling.

With nothing better to do, he hopped off the rock and once more waded his way through the water. After only several minutes of walking he came to where he and Blake had defeated the Hydra. He had been in such a panic back then he hadn't even considered what could be further down this tunnel. He had just wanted to get back the moment he heard Ruby and Weiss were fighting Shirou.

Now he had no such desire driving him to turn around and instead continued forward. He didn't really know whether or not this would lead him to meet his predecessor but he was willing to bet on any chance, no matter how small the odds.

He...really needed to see her. Now more than ever. If anyone had a chance at helping him work his way out of this rut he had managed to dig himself into, it was probably her. After all, it's not like anyone else in the world knew who she was. For all the rest of the world was concerned she didn't exist, and he couldn't get in trouble for telling someone that didn't exist.

That begged the question though, did it really count as telling anyone at all? He supposed so long as it helped him sort out his memories he didn't care whether it was genuinely real or not. Besides, she had seemed very real when he last saw her, discounting the fact that she appeared and disappeared without so much as a trace of her existence left behind.

What if she was just something his mind had conjured up from the trauma of his near death experience? That didn't seem to make much sense though. It's not like he knew anything about Arc Link before she had explained it to him. He probably wouldn't have known to use it at all if she hadn't given him a small nudge in the right direction. That meant she had to have been a real person. Unless she was just some kind of Semblance guide? Did other people have personifications of their Semblance? He had no idea, but as far as he could tell no one else on his team did.

Not that Ruby exactly needed help figuring out how to use her Semblance. There weren't many tricks to super speed. Although if he was being honest, hers was the one that gave him the most trouble applying to combat. No matter how much he tried he just couldn't get used to fighting while moving at such velocity. He always mistimed his attacks or constantly overshot his target while utilising her ability. Weiss' was at least straight forward when not mixing dust to it as it only acted as a shield or could be used as a platform. Blake's was probably the one he was most comfortable using.

Not that she would likely ever let him link with her again anyways.

He continued with this pointless train of thought the whole time he was walking and he didn't even realise how much time had passed until he began to hear a new sound. Before, the only noise had been the water sloshing around as he walked. Now he could hear running water on top of that. He didn't see anything yet though and there wasn't any sign of a current from the water he was wading through. He kept on for another several minutes but still didn't see anything despite the fact that the noise was turning from a small trickle to a loud, crashing roar. If he had to guess, he would say he was coming up to a waterfall of some kind.

Just as he thought the roar couldn't possibly get any louder, the tunnel he was walking down gave a sharp turn and he could see actual sunlight scattering in. With renewed vigour, he skipped forward and rounded the corner. His earlier thought had been spot on as he set eyes on a cascading wall of water. Some of the water splayed off and fell into the tunnel but most of it continued over the side of a cliff.

He got as close as he could, finally picking his feet out of the ankle deep water and stepping instead onto slippery rock with as much care as he could. He then saw a small jut going out the side of the waterfall and leading outside. He placed his hand on the wall for support and stepped into the sunlight…

...to witness one of the most spectacular views he had ever seen in his entire life. It was almost like he had fallen down the rabbit hole and descended into paradise. The waterfall to his side fell into a deep lake that was just beneath him. Beyond the lake were tropical green trees that filled the entire landscape beneath him. It was almost strange how vibrant and alive they looked when he considered the barren landscape he had just escaped from. This land was completely cut off from the rest of the badlands by high reaching walls that enclosed the entire area. He could only imagine what kind of fruit and game was down beneath him, untouched by mankind for centuries.

Seriously, how did no one know about this place? It was pretty close to Razor Canyon...wasn't it? Now that he thought about it, how far had he walked to get here? He really had no idea. The sun was already quite high so it must have been getting close to noon. He had been lost in his thoughts far longer than he had imagined if that was the case.

Oh well, not like it was really important, although he was missing class right now. How much GKP would he get docked for missing a full day's worth? Probably quite a bit. Weiss was going to chew his head off.

He shook the thought loose. He came out here to find his predecessor, not admire beautiful scenery or think about classes. He had thought the draft was a sign from her, but it had actually been nothing more than the wind from the entrance here.

Great, so he was still at square zero. Should he turn around then...or maybe continue forward? He looked down the path he had started himself on. It was nothing more than a narrow ledge that seemed to continue around the side of the cliffside but he couldn't tell if it would help him descend below or if it just cut off at some point. Odds are it wasn't something so convenient as a path to the bottom as it almost surely wasn't manmade. That meant if he fell down there he almost certainly wouldn't have a way back up.

Yeah, he was good on that. He didn't care to end up trapped here. With a resigned sigh, he decided that he truly had gone far enough for the day and turned back towards the waterfall. As he did a flash of black crossed in front of his face.

On instinct alone his body jumped backwards and he barely managed to dodge the fist of an unknown Grimm creature as its hand continued right into the rock wall. The force of the blow was so strong that the rock splintered into pieces and the wall spider webbed as it cracked and split.

Damn...this thing was strong. And scary. The best way to describe it was humanoid. Maybe some kind of monkey-like Grimm. It was slightly taller than he was and covered in pitch-black fur. its most disturbing feature was easily its face though.

Its lower jaw was completely missing and its tongue dangled in the air, drooling all over itself. Its eyes appeared to be sewn shut by white thread and something looking akin to a rail-spike was driven through its head at the ears, causing some sort of black pus to ooze from where it enter and exit. How was this thing even alive? Was it possible it had just been born this way? Now that he thought about it, how were Grimm even born? Ignoring that, they had to come into the world somehow, right? Did some of the Grimm just come into this world with their eyes stitched shut and a spike going through their brain? He really didn't see an alternative looking at the one in front of him. What did he even call this thing? He quickly checked the scroll on his wrist but it was only displaying a series of question marks.

What?

His scroll didn't recognise this thing?

Did that mean it was something humanity hadn't come across yet? A scarier thought yet was, did that mean no one that had ever met this thing live to tell about it?

The Grimm's face twitched as it tilted its nose upwards and gave two deep sniffs. Well, that explained how it had found him anyways. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad? If it couldn't see or hear there was no way it was going to be able to counter his attacks. All he had to do was strike first and kill this thing before it locked in on his location again.

He unsheathed Crocea Mors and took a couple running steps towards it. Just as he got a step away from being within range though it gave another deep sniff before it let out a terrifying, bestial roar. its exposed tongue flailed in the air and its rancid breath assaulted his nose. Unintentionally he recoiled away from the Nameless Grimm.

Despite his best efforts he lowered his sword and gave a big gag. Tears filled his eyes and he felt his stomach churn in protest just from being exposed to that awful stench for a second. His stance widened slightly and one foot nearly slipped off the ledge. He flailed for balance and as he did the Grimm leapt at him, swinging its fist forward.

He ducked just beneath its swing and barely managed to dodge its punch but the body of the Grimm smacked into him and knocked the rest of his foot off the ledge. He fell backwards and in a desperate attempt to not fall he reached his free hand forward and grabbed the Nameless Grimm's extended arm. The sudden shift in weight though caused the Grimm to tip forward and it fell off the ledge right along with him.

Ah crap.

Just why did this always happen to him? Was it too much to ask to just once fight a Grimm without being sent plummeting to his death? He was pretty sure this happened almost every time without fail.

Perhaps because he was used to it, or maybe it was just reflexes taking over, but his body began to react immediately as he began to wrestle with the Grimm for control of their fall. He buried his blade into its shoulder and twisted, causing it to let out a howl of pain. Once more, his nose was assaulted by its rank breath but he bared through it with the adrenaline and spun them around so the Grimm was beneath him.

Hopefully this would be enough to break his fall. The Grimm wasn't giving up without a fight though and its free arm flailed madly before managing to grab hold of Jaune's forearm. It only held it for a second before it gave a mighty twist.

With a sickening crunch and a horrid flash of mind-searing pain, Jaune's left arm bent back at an unnatural angle. He was pretty sure he caught a sight of his elbow bone protruding out from his skin too but he put that thought to the back of his mind as he spun his feet around and delivered a full force stomp right onto the Grimm's exposed tongue.

Its head jarred to the side and its grip on his arm loosened, but it only continued to dangle uselessly in the air and he couldn't feel any response from anything below his elbow. Not a moment later and they hit a rocky outcrop just above the valley and the Grimm splattered apart into a mass of black blood and organs.

His Aura protected him from any real damage but he could tell it took a big dip as he bounced off of the now dead Grimm and tumbled further down. The world became a spinning blur and he felt his hipbone crack as his sheath smashed into a rock and pushed into him before it was dislodged. Once more his vision flashed white before he finally rolled to a stop on the forest floor.

He heard his sheath clatter to the ground some ways away and by some miracle had managed to hold onto his sword throughout that entire fall. Now that he thought about it, how was that possible? He could tell he had his sword but he certainly wasn't holding it. With a small groan, he opened his eyes to see that he in fact wasn't holding his sword at all.

It had somehow gotten spun around after that Grimm had exploded into hunks and had buried itself in his right forearm so deeply it was jutting out the other end.

Shit, it hurt. This really freaking hurt. He brought his other arm around to pull it out only for it to dangle uselessly in front of him. Blood ran down it and he was positive now that he could see bone sticking out at the elbow. Oh damn.

He felt sick.

With a small heave, he emptied the contents of his stomach. His nose crinkled at the vile smell and he lifted his face away from the puke he had just deposited on the floor. He then attempted to get to his feet but only remembered when he put pressure on it that his hipbone had also been broken by the fall from when his sheath smashed into it.

"Oh fuck…" He collapsed back to the earth but without his hands to catch him he fell face-first into his own puke. "Ehh…" He gave a small sob as his cheek soaked in the half-digested, regurgitated contents of his stomach.

He needed to remove the memory. He needed to forget about that Grimm and the fall. He was a sitting duck like this. That was easier said than done though when he was in this much pain. It hurt just to form a coherent thought, let alone make use of his Semblance.

He pushed past the excruciating amounts of pain though and found the memory of the Grimm he just fought right at the forefront of his brain. It wasn't something he would forget anytime soon, after all. Well, he said that but he was about to forget it right this moment as it was already fading out of existence.

His vision blacked out and when he came to, he was aware of a couple things. The first...he was currently kneeled on the ground with his face pressed against...something. Whatever the Hell it was, it reeked horribly and he immediately recoiled away from the smelly substance and jumped to his feet.

The second thing he noticed was that for some reason or another, Crocea Mors was rammed straight through his right arm...and it freaking hurt! Damn, how was that not the first thing he had felt when he came to? It hadn't bothered him at all until he saw it but now that he was aware of it the pain was excruciating.

He clenched his teeth and gripped the sword with his left hand. Taking several deep breaths, he closed his eyes before giving a strong pull. With a sickening slick, his sword slipped out of his arm and blood sprayed out of the wound. Before he could lose too much, he focused his Aura around it and felt the skin seal up. It would probably take a couple minutes to repair the muscle, tissue, and bone damage but so long as he wasn't in danger of bleeding out, he could just let his Aura naturally do its work.

Now to figure out where he was. At first glance it would appear he was on the floor of the valley that last he remembered he was overlooking. That shouldn't be possible though. Had he slipped and fell? He turned his head and saw the lake at the base of the waterfall. He then followed it up to the midway point and could see the ledge where he surely had been standing the last he remembered.

Had he been...attacked?

Something must have injured him quite seriously if he went and used his memory removing ability. He didn't use that lightly because if he did, he wound up in situations like this where he had no idea why he was here or how to get back to where he had been. It also had the inconvenient effect of making it impossible to recall what had attacked him or how it had managed to injure him. What if it was some Grimm with an ability he had never seen before? He wouldn't know to dodge its attack again because he didn't remember it injuring him the first time. Now that he was looking around though, he could see the smoking, splattered remains of some kind of dead Grimm. Whatever it was, hopefully it didn't have buddies.

He went to sheath Crocea Mors only to find he didn't have his shield on him. Well that was weird. Had it gotten separated from him when he fell? It wasn't still up there was it? Before he jumped to anymore conclusions, he began to scan the area around him. To his relief, he spotted the sheath a little ways ahead of him, just at the edge of the jungle.

Before he could take even a single step towards it though, a single clawed foot stepped just on top of it. He froze in place and his eyes slowly tilted up to see just what he was facing now. This time it was some lizard-like Grimm with a long tail, razor sharp claws on its feet, and a lot of teeth. Despite the Grimm not having any arms he was pretty sure it could rip him to shreds in more ways than one without even blinking. Its head was tilted sideways so its beady, red eye could glare at him. As unthreatening as possible, he lifted his left arm to glance at the scroll on his wrist.

Earth Dragon.

They were fast, capable at running 65 kilometres an hour, and they were incredibly vicious, usually hunting in packs.

Oh boy. He hoped that wasn't his buddy that was turning to smoke behind him. This guy wasn't going to be happy about that if it was. Were there others just hidden behind the trees around him? He didn't see any but that didn't mean they weren't there.

He had to be careful, but he just couldn't run away either. At the very least he needed to get his shield first. Gingerly, he switched Crocea Mors to his right hand and held it at the ready in front of himself. His grip wasn't as firm as he would like it to be with his internal injuries still healing but it would have to do. Perhaps it was a good thing Professor Yen had made him train so much without his shield? It was certainly going to be handy experience seeing as he wasn't going to be able to use it to fight this thing.

He nudged closer, as slowly as he could without startling the Earth Dragon into action. Even from here he could see its pupil shrink and its mouth curl, exposing a little more of its razor-sharp teeth.

He wanted to turn around. Screw the shield. He could just make another one. Maybe Ruby could help him modify something spiffy and more modern? Whatever it was she built for him, he doubted it could withstand the blast of a Chimera. He had been through thick and thin with that shield. It would be horrible to lose it now.

Not to mention, the symbol on the front of it helped remind him of his existence as an Arc. He no longer had his chest-plate bearing the symbol of his family. No way was he going to lose this too. He might truly forget who he was if that happened.

It was also good incentive to creep forward seeing as there wasn't exactly any escape behind him. Just an unscalable cliff. He was going to have to find another exit out of here and that meant likely going forward. Not to mention he didn't want to think of what would happen if he turned his back to this thing.

The Earth Dragon gave a harsh hiss and he stopped in his tracks.

Something was wrong. It wasn't...looking at him. It was looking behind him. With as little movement as possible he turned his head and saw the smoke from the corpse of the dead Grimm had begun swirling around and was forming a small twister on top of the where he had seen the majority of its remains. In the centre of the twister was some small black organ that could have been a heart but it was too hard to tell now.

What the Hell was going on?

After a while, the twister began to contort and take shape. Arms and legs materialised around a humanoid torso until some kind of monkey-like Grimm was revealed. Suddenly the Earth Dragon became the preferred of his two opponents. This thing was grotesque to look at it. its eyes were stitched shut, its lower jaw missing, and what looked like a rail spike was shoved through its head at the ears.

Just what was this thing? He glanced at his scroll to only see a series of question marks. ...His scroll had no data on it. Did that mean it was something humanity hadn't come across yet? A scarier thought yet was, did that mean no one that had ever met this thing live to tell about it? Perhaps more disconcerting was its sudden appearance. It had been born from the smoke of a dead Grimm. Was this the same dead Grimm that had revived itself? Or was it something else altogether? If only he still had his memory than maybe he would know.

It gave two big sniffs and let out a horrifying screech. As it did, the Earth Dragon behind him let out another loud hiss.

Well, this situation just went from bad to worse in only a matter of seconds. He had his doubts about being able to fight just one of these things. Both of them together was asking for the impossible.

He would die.

Was it just him or was it getting hard to breathe? His sword-arm was shaking horribly and he could see Crocea Mors wobbling in his grip. His knees felt weak and the very act of just standing was becoming difficult.

He needed to come up with a strategy if he wanted to have even the slightest chance of getting out of here. His best bet was getting out of the middle. He couldn't fight pincered. There was no way he could fend off both their attacks without his shield though. Before anything he needed that.

He inhaled deeply before letting out a long breath. His grip on Crocea Mors tightened. He could do this. He had to do this.

Before either Grimm could react, he pivot and charged straight at the Earth Dragon. He only made it a couple steps before it responded...but not in a way he expected.

It took a step back before it bent down and grabbed his shield with its teeth. Once it was secure, the Earth Dragon turned around and vanished into the woods in a blur.

"..." Did it...just steal his shield?

He was pretty sure he had never heard of a Grimm do that before. Just what the Hell was going on? Had it abandoned its fellow Grimm? He turned back around but the Nameless Grimm was just standing there, sniffing occasionally to check for his location. It made no move to come after him.

If anything, it just looked as if it was baring his exit, like some kind of gatekeeper. Were these Grimm...collaborating to lure him deeper into the valley?

But why?

They could have easily killed him just now if they had ganged up on him.

That meant they wanted him to chase after his shield then...right? This was almost certainly a trap. Still, that shield wasn't something he could just abandon and he didn't particularly care to have to fight that creepy monkey-thing either.

He turned back towards the tropical jungle and gave a small sigh. Trap or not, here goes nothing. He took off running after the Earth Dragon, tracking its movement through the forest, only knowing how to do so thanks to tidbits of information from Blake's memory.

Even with her memories though, that didn't make it easy for him to navigate the thick brush and he constantly stumbled around as his feet tripped over the overgrown roots and low hanging branches smacked him in the face. After several minutes of moving forward, the brush vanished and he fell forward into a small clearing.

In the middle of the clearing...was his shield. No Grimm in sight. Had it dropped it by accident? No, not likely. This was the trap, it had to be. Slowly, he got back to his feet and listened for the sound of Grimm.

Nothing.

In fact, there was no noise at all. Not the buzzing of insects nor the scurrying of rodents. This forest sounded completely devoid of life...just like that one time in Forever Fall.

Did that mean something on par with the Chimera lived in this valley? What if it was another one? Yeah, he needed to get out of here. Immediately.

All thoughts of the trap forgotten, he ran forward and only made it halfway to his shield before four black blurs burst out of the surrounding brush. The Earth Dragon apparently had brothers. These things were fast too.

Too fast.

He barely made it any further before two of the Earth Dragons were practically on top of him. The first one leapt in the air and stuck the razor-sharp claws on its feet forward. He ducked just under it and as it flew over his head he pivoted and swung his sword, catching it right at the knees. The Earth Dragon let out a scream of pain as its legs hit the ground and it body continued forward until it slammed face first into the dirt.

It flailed around in a desperate attempt to get up but he didn't pay it anymore mind as he twirled his body using the balls of his feet to dodge just out of the way of the second Earth Dragon. He flipped his sword so he was holding it backwards and jabbed behind him, stabbing it in between the ribs before it could pass him.

As he pulled his sword out the other two reached him. He dove forward and tucked into a ball, just barely rolling by them. He hit the ground and bounced back to his feet, already spinning around to face them as they renewed their charge.

He dug the tip of his sword into the soil beneath him and with a strong heave flicked it up, sending hunks of dirt scattering into their eyes. Just as they began to let out irritated hisses and stumbled blindly forward he jumped to them and with one swing he chopped both their heads off.

He didn't wait for their bodies to hit the ground before running to scoop up his shield. Only once he had it deployed and on his arm did he allow himself to relax just a little. The only noise in the clearing anymore was the legless Earth Dragon rolling around in the dirt as it tried to get back up.

"Ha! Is that all you got!?" He gave a confident smirk as he stalked up to the defenceless Grimm. All that time he spent dodging around Penny's attacks without being allowed his shield had clearly proven to be pretty handy. He really had to remember to thank her for being so crazy strong next time they sparred.

It gave him an angry snarl in response before opening its mouth unnaturally wide and letting out a terrifyingly loud screech. His confident smirk slipped as the brush all around him began to shake before at least a dozen Earth Dragons burst out in a series of black blurs.

Well shit. He just had to ask.

He swung his shield and bashed the first one to reach him in the mouth. It stumbled past him but he had no time to finish it as he swung his sword at the next one, gouging its jaw open. The third bent its head low and tackled into his gut, knocking him off his feet and onto his back.

He didn't even have enough time to groan in pain before he had to roll to the side to avoid having his face ripped to shreds by their claws as they stampeded all around him. As he rolled he swung his shield, bashing one of them in the knee and causing it to stumble to the ground. He jumped on top of it and used the elevated height to push himself to his feet.

Before he was even standing all the way he swung his sword overhead and brought it down on top of another one, splitting its skull. Just as he pulled his sword out the one he had knocked down bent its neck forward and bit down on his knee.

"Gah!" Jaune turned to stab at it when another one tackled into him again, knocking him forward while the other continued to hold his leg. With a sickening crack he felt the bones in his leg snap and break as he was sent once more crashing face first into the ground.

Well...this was it.

He couldn't even see what was happening anymore between the pain and having his face buried in the dirt. He could feel the Earth Dragon's though as they all converged on his prone form. He could hear their teeth snapping together as they descended upon him with the intent of ripping his body limb from bloody limb.

Yet again he was in another helpless situation. He just kept making the same mistakes over and over again right up until the end. It was like in all this time he had been training he hadn't learned a single freaking thing.

And it was because he never learned that he was going to die.

At least, he should have died. Instead of feeling the pain of being ripped apart as the Earth Dragons ate him he heard a deafening roar so powerful that it shook the trees and caused the very earth to quake.

The Earth Dragons above him stopped in their tracks before scattering in every direction.

...They weren't going to kill him?

Why?

Just as that thought finished forming, a dull thud once again shook the earth. Then another. Something massive was coming. Probably to finish him off. Was that why the others left him alone? They maimed him just so their leader could finish the job. Since when did Grimm coordinate like that? Did the answer even matter? No, not really. Every second he wasted thinking about this the louder the thuds got. He needed to go now which meant he had to heal his leg.

Pumping Aura into it wasn't going to heal it quickly enough though and he would rather have the reserves in case he got caught up in another struggle. However, if he wiped his memory it might take him too long to recollect his bearings and that approaching Grimm would kill him while he was still confused.

"Oh my. Oh my. This is quite the predicament you've found yourself in, isn't it?"

"You think!?"

Wait…

Who the Hell said that?

"That's so mean. You forgot the sound of my voice already?"

He lifted his face from the dirt to see a pair of metal boots just in front of him before he tilted his neck and looked up to once again gaze upon the very person he had come all this way just to see.

His predecessor.

* * *

 **AN:** I actually don't have much to say about this chapter. Not a real lot happened after all and yet I somehow managed to make it this long. I almost feel ashamed I was capable of that. Still, I wanted this to be a full chapter and it felt a little like it was cheating if I got him to meet up with his predecessor too easily.

So I put Jaune through the ringer and it happened to be convenient for me to show off and recap on the abilities of Arc Link when he is by himself.

The monkey Grimm has a part yet to play in this little arc. I kind of created it around the concept of see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil (or whatever order that is supposed to be in). The Mellona, weren't anything special, just giant wasps. The Earth Dragons are basically armless raptors. I actually got the name and inspiration for them from the VN, Rewrite, by Key. Although the Earth Dragon in that is a giant armless T-Rex.

* * *

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 25 - Predecessor_

* * *

"Ruby! Please slow down!" It was a miracle they had managed to keep up with her even slightly. She had been using her Semblance on and off since they left the tower and several times already Sun had been afraid they lost her.

When they actually reached the canyon though she had been forced to slow down considerably and they had nearly managed to catch up while descending to the passage Shirou had mentioned.

Now the three of them were sloshing through ankle-deep water as they made the final leg of their journey into the Valley of the Ancients. He had to wonder though...what was Jaune hoping to accomplish coming all this way by himself? Had he been dragged out here against his will? The evidence certainly seemed to point in that direction but he didn't exactly have many suspects to choose from. As far as he could tell, everyone liked Jaune. It was hard not to like the guy that most people considered responsible for saving their lives. So the fact that something like this would happen was just plain odd.

He wasn't going to get any answers just thinking about it. Hopefully he would know the truth after they managed to find him alive. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if they didn't...Ruby might go crazy. He didn't even want to think about Blake's reaction. More than that...what about his own reaction? Jaune was his friend too. You know what? He wasn't going to worry about it. Jaune was fine and they were going to bring him back before anyone else even realised he was missing. Well, he might just happen to mention it to Blake since she would probably be incredibly grateful to him for going out to save her partner.

Ruby stopped hard as she reached a sharp turn in the tunnel. Finally, the two of them managed to catch up to her but they heard the reason she stopped long before they were able to see it. Just in front of them now was a roaring waterfall that was scattering the incoming sunlight.

Ruby made a small grimace before her body hitched forward. "Whoa, whoa! Hang on there, Zippy!" Before her Semblance could activate Sun and Neptune each wrapped an arm through her armpit, successfully keeping her from going anywhere.

"Let me go! Jaune is out there!" Ruby flailed her feet desperately and sent water flying in all directions as she attempted to get loose.

"Yeah, him and Dust knows what else." Neptune was already pointing to a small passage that led out around the side of the waterfall. "Let's get a precursory glance before we get ourselves killed."

"You hear that Zippy?" Sun tapped her lightly on the shoulder. "We're going to let you go and when we do you're not going to go jumping out any waterfalls all willy-nilly."

"...Fine." Ruby pouted as she gave a small nod. Hesitantly, Sun and Neptune relinquished their hold on her and she began to jog towards the passage his partner had pointed out. They followed her out around the edge of the waterfall and all three of them stopped at the stunning view before them.

"...Are we still in the badlands?" Neptune mumbled in disbelief. Sun could only shake his head at the question, unsure of the answer himself. It was like they stumbled into a tropical rain-forest. The trees and vegetation were thick and lush. It was almost impossible to believe such a vibrant, living place could exist so close to where they had just came from. High cliff walls surrounded the whole area, restricting the life to only this valley. For just a moment, it almost escaped his mind that this place was dangerous. Almost.

Several dull thuds that shook the small ledge they were standing on reminded him that this place was home to dangerous, supposedly very old, and intelligent Grimm. He then heard several loud crashes as several of the massive trees were uprooted. Something was moving through the jungle but the trees obscured whatever it was. For just a moment, he saw a long, black, lizard-like tail flick over-top the canopy before it disappeared from sight.

Almost immediately after he saw it, whatever it was he saw, something gave a loud, deafening roar. The ledge they were standing on shook from the sheer intensity and nearly caused them all to stumble right off.

"That thing is angry…" He was glad they were up here and not down there.

Neptune gave a nervous chuckle in agreement. "Yeah. I feel bad for the poor guy that pissed it off." Just as the words left his mouth, all three of their eyes widened in horror.

"Jaune…!" Before they could stop her, Ruby took off running down the ledge, constantly checking over the side for a quick and easy way into the valley. The thing was, getting down would be the easy part. It looked like getting back up was going to be the more difficult task. Especially if they had Grimm on their ass.

"There's a cave up ahead!" Neptune pointed to just where the ledge came to an end and indeed there was a small inlet. There was no guarantee that cave would get them to the bottom though. For all they knew it was just a dead end. That didn't stop Ruby from running right into it without a second thought.

Just as Sun and Neptune were about to round the corner and turn into it too, the sound of a dozen angry barks caused them to stop in their tracks. Oh crap! Were there some kind of dog Grimm in there?

Just as that thought finished forming, they also heard the flapping of feathered wings and Ruby let out a disgruntled yell. From out of the cave flew a Grimm that had grabbed Ruby by the back of her cloak and was carrying her off and into the valley.

"Ruby!" Sun pulled out his nunchucks and went to fire but Neptune quickly reached over and pulled his arm down.

"What are you going to do if you hit her!?"

"My aim is better than that! What's your problem?!" Sun pulled his arm free and went to shoot again but just at that moment a dozen more of the same Grimm that carried Ruby off burst out of the cave and obstructed his shot. "Just what the Hell are these things?"

They looked like big crows, their wingspan alone about as long as he was tall. However, instead of a head of a bird, it looked like a dog. And instead of talons it had two furry dog-legs. Whatever it was, it was some kind of disgusting hybrid.

"Carrions." Neptune recited the information from his scroll. "They certainly don't look very friendly." He had to talk over the Grimm's incessant barking as they tried to intimidate the two of them.

"It doesn't matter what they're called." Sun fired two shots from his nunchucks and two of them fell towards the valley below, dead. "We gotta go save Jaune _and_ Zippy now."

"This just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" Neptune sighed as he pulled out his own weapon and prepared to fire. As he did, the Grimm began to dive bomb them.

"Heh, you said it."

* * *

Jaune couldn't believe it.

He had actually managed to find her.

Too bad it was right when he was moments away from being murdered from some kind of giant Grimm that was charging right towards him.

Oh well, at least he had pulled off his goal in the end and had gotten to see her again before he died. She was just as beautiful as he remembered too. Her golden hair was twirled into a braid that hung over her shoulder. Her crystal blue armour was just as shiny and immaculate as before. Most striking was her blue eyes that felt like he was gazing into the pure open sky.

"You're going to make me blush if you keep praising me like that." She giggled slightly even as her own words caused him to blush. "Although...I suppose now isn't the best time to be teasing you, huh?" She tilted her head towards the source of the thunderous footfalls that were closing in on him.

"I don't suppose you have some kind of plan?" Jaune grimaced in pain as he turned to look back at his leg. Oh yeah, it was mangled. Not only was it bent at an unnatural angle but the skin around his knee was completely ripped away. Even with Aura this would be a career ending injury. The only thing he could do was erase his memory but he would be too disoriented from the aftereffects to know to run right away. In his confusion the Grimm would kill him before he even truly understood what was happening.

"You're thinking about the mind altering part of Arc Link all wrong." The girl crouched down in front of him and rested her elbows on her knees. "You're going about it as if you are erasing a full moment from your past when what you should be doing is altering a small part of that moment."

...Alter it?

"Precisely. You're removing a whole block of time when you erase the memory completely when in reality the only part you need to get rid of is when that Earth Dragon bit your knee. The part where the other Earth Dragon knocked you down will still exist and then you won't have to spend time questioning why you are on the ground and wondering what's happening."

Well, he supposed that made sense. How was he supposed to do that though? He only knew how to remove the whole block, he didn't know how to focus in and remove only aspects of a certain memory.

The girl let out a sigh. "Oh dear, I guess I'll just have to do it for you this time. You better start running the second I say so, you got it?" He nodded his compliance quickly. The ground was shaking so violently now he was practically being thrown into the air with each step that Grimm took.

"Okay, run."

It only took his brain a second to register what was happening before he scrambled to his feet and did as she said. Not a moment later and whatever had been coming for him burst into the clearing. He wanted to turn around and see what it was, but he really had no desire to slow down even a fraction so he could do that.

As if she materialised out of thin air, his predecessor was standing in front of him just at the edge of the clearing. _'It's another Earth Dragon...as you may have guessed though, this one is rather big.'_ This time her words echoed inside his head as she talked to him using the mental link.

' _Yeah, I kind of got that.'_ If he had to guess from the footfalls alone, it was as big as the Chimera and the Goliaths. Great, just great. Those little guys alone were fast. How was he supposed to outrun one a hundred times their size?

' _It should be slowed down significantly due to its unnatural size. I imagine it is going to have some difficulty just uprooting the trees while chasing you. Perhaps you'll survive this yet?'_ He really could only hope. The problem was the jungle was also slowing him down as he stumbled his way through the brush.

Just behind him he heard several trees topple over and crash into the ground. Then the Earth Dragon let out a deafening roar that once more caused the very ground he was running on to tremble. His ears started to ring and his vision blurred as he became disoriented.

' _This way!'_ The girl called inside his mind and despite it sounding like her voice came from every direction, he knew which way she was guiding him.

He stumbled blindly after her and did his best to ignore the low-hanging branches as they slapped him in the face and cut his cheeks. _'Hey! Where are you leading me?'_

' _Just hurry!'_ Finally his vision returned and he could see her standing a ways ahead of him, still looking behind him and keeping tabs on the massive Earth Dragon. How was she doing that? He supposed it wouldn't be much work for a spirit like her to teleport around as she pleased. _'Geez, I told you I prefer to be called a memory! I'm not a spirit!'_ It wasn't like he had much time to try and understand how those two things were different.

Just before he reached her, his feet stumbled on a vine and he fell into a hole that she had been standing in front of. "Why!?" He yelled upwards as he slid down beneath the earth and slammed onto a mossy patch of rock.

"Shhh…" The girl was already down here on her knees and held up one finger to her mouth. He glanced around and saw that what he fell into had been a hollowed out tree that had led him to some kind of hidden hole. Just above him was a canopy of roots that while it let very little light through it prevented anything else from being able to peek down here.

The thunderous steps of the Earth Dragon got louder until it was practically on top of them. It stopped and gave several massive sniffs and let out a loud growl. Oh man..it was going to find him. If it found him down here it was going to eat him and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Happy thoughts, Jaune." He looked at the girl and she was pointing to the edges of her grinning mouth. "Think happy thoughts. Grimm can sense negativity."

' _I thought you told me to be quiet?'_

"I can talk out loud if I want to. No one other than you can perceive me. I'm a by-product of our Semblance after all." For someone that was so picky about being referred to as a memory, she sure called herself a "by-product" without much regard.

"I can still read your thoughts, you know?" She gave him a nonplussed look but at that very moment he was distracted when the Earth Dragon let out another deafening roar before it took off running in a different direction. Only once its steps were reduced to dull thuds did he let out a breath of relief. He had survived. He had survived and he met his predecessor again. How had he even pulled that off? One moment she hadn't been there, the next she had and it didn't even really feel like he did anything special to call for her.

"Hmm...I would guess it is because you were using Arc Link so actively on your own. Before this you were always linking to others and relying on their abilities. Not that it was really your fault, Arc Link is a Semblance that is most powerful when used with a team, after all. Still, it is only because you were desperately struggling on your own that you were able to call me out, even if you did so unconsciously." She didn't entirely sound sure herself but he was going to assume that what she said made sense. She knew more about this Semblance than he did.

' _There's...so much I need to talk to you about while you're here. I'm not sure if I'm going to be willing to go through all this crap again just to see you every time either.'_

She chuckled and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh no, oh no. I don't think you'll need to go to such extremes every time just to talk to me. This time our connection is much stronger. You've really gotten the hang of using Arc Link. I imagine from now on you'll be able to call me whenever you feel, even if it is just to chat." Oh thank goodness. He really didn't think he could've handled another trip like this.

"Still, I think we have plenty of time to talk now anyways. It probably wouldn't be wise to leave for a while. Where would you like to start?" That was a good question. There were so many things he wanted to ask but he had no idea what was a good starting point. Maybe before all that…

' _I didn't catch your name last time. I lost you just before I could hear it.'_

"Ah, that's right. That's right. My bad. I probably should have sent it through the mental link. I just like hearing my own voice actually leave my lips. You don't know how much you miss that feeling until you're dead." Okay, well that was morbid.

"Charlotte. My name is Charlotte."

' _Charlotte.'_ He repeated her name through the link and she gave a small nod of approval. _'Huh. I don't remember hearing about any of my ancestors with that name.'_

"Oh my, you seem to have misunderstood."

What?

"I am your Semblance predecessor, but I am not your ancestor. I am not an Arc nor was I related to any Arcs. I also never had any offspring of my own so you couldn't have been derived from me."

' _Then...why call it Arc Link?'_

She put a single finger against her bottom lip and winked at him. "Let's call that a woman's secret." Well, if she didn't want to tell him he supposed that was fine. He needed help with his own secrets and didn't need to be adding hers to the mix.

' _You know everything...right? About The Omega? About all the secrets I've been keeping?'_ For the first time, she let out a small frown and closed her eyes as she nodded. ' _What...am I supposed to do?'_

"There...isn't an easy answer to that question." She tapped her knee with her fingers and let out a small sigh. "Normally, I would say that only you can find the correct choice...but seeing as we share the same Semblance, you practically are me; just born in a different time and with a different gender."

' _So then you'll help me?'_

She nodded. "You're not going to like hearing this...but frankly speaking, Jaune. You're an idiot."

Ouch. Somehow, hearing that from someone that was pretty much you made that statement hurt even more.

"You've been keeping all these secrets for the sole purpose of protecting Blake. However, now all you've managed to do in the end is hurt her anyways and make her hate you in the process. If it was going to come to this, you should've just told her the truth. Yes, the truth will hurt some too but in the end she won't hate you. Trust me, her hating you is the last thing you want."

' _Well, of course I don't want her to hate me, but-'_

"I'm not done just yet." She may have cut him off, but her tone wasn't harsh. "Maybe you've realised this a little yourself? In fact, I know you have. Simply put, Blake is your anchor." So...he had been right. After the fight, he had felt himself start to whittle away more quickly. He hadn't been sure if that was because he was feeling so much negativity or if Blake was somehow directly affecting that, but with her words now he knew.

"You must not have noticed because that dream you had was so obscure, but do you remember your first night after you linked with them?" That dream...he vaguely knew what she was talking about. "In that dream, you took the places of your teammates, Ruby and Weiss. However, when you entered Blake's memories…"

His eyes widened as some of it returned. _'I saw Blake instead. I didn't take her place like I did the others. Which means…what exactly?'_

"It means Blake affects you differently than the other two. In fact, her Aura will react differently to yours than anyone else in the world." This sounded like some kind of soulmate stuff.

"You're half-right. While it certainly isn't as dramatic as soulmates it does have to do with the soul. It is for no other reason than the simple fact that Blake unlocked your Aura. When she did that, she inserted a small part of her own soul into yours. It was that combination that gave birth to Arc Link. You wouldn't have this Semblance if someone else had unlocked your Aura, most likely."

' _Okay then, so Blake is my anchor. Without her I'll lose myself, is that what you're saying?'_

"Well...either way you'll lose yourself. Without her it will just happen faster." Wait, wait, wait. Was she saying his Semblance was going to erode his brain either way? Then why did it matter so much?

"It matters. You want to remember for as long as you can, don't you? I know it can be hard, because your teammates all have such tragedy in their pasts, but you should try harder to focus on the happier moments in their lives. Trust me, it doesn't take away the pain as Arc Link chews away at you but it does make it feel more like it's worth having." Yeah, like he really cared if his Semblance made his last few years happy or not. Wait a second...did he even have a few years?

' _How...old were you when you discovered your Semblance and when did it completely erode your mind?'_ He once more looked her up and down. She looked...young. Really young.

She gave a sad smile. "Like you, I was a bit of a late bloomer. I discovered my Semblance when I was eighteen. By the time I was nineteen...I was no longer capable of functioning as the person once known as Charlotte."

' _One year!?'_

"I suppose it would be more accurate to say I only had my Semblance about six months."

...Just great.

He was going to lose himself in another five months.

She had for all intents and purposes just given him a death sentence in less than half-a-years' time.

' _Is there...nothing I can do to stop it?'_

She hesitated for a moment and her eyes darted back and forth.

"...Not that I know of."

 _'What if I just quit linking with people altogether?'_ It's not like making up with Blake was the only way to slow down the rate at which Arc Link was killing him, right? He didn't exactly think Blake was going to forgive him anytime soon and he was on the fence about telling her, even with the idea of imminent death. There had to be other ways...

"That won't work. The process of Arc Link has already started. Like I told you last time. Arc Link is a Semblance of memories."

 _'So that's no good either? But isn't it their memories that is destroying my brain?'_

"The human mind is capable of storing hundreds of years of information. While it is true that combining that many memories at once would cause some of them to become jumbled, you wouldn't actually forget something about yourself. No...there is another reason Arc Link causes you to lose your memories. A person's Aura is a reflection of their soul. Your soul is constantly being crafted from your personal memories."

"Arc Link takes that a step further and bypasses Aura as an energy source and skips right to the memories. That's why when you destroy a memory you are able to heal a wound. It isn't because it makes it so it never happened, it's because it converts that memory into pure energy that it uses to heal you. Arc Link is actually constantly doing this even unconsciously...whittling away at your memories and turning them into energy for you to use. This is why even when you're not linked your memories are eroding anyways."

 _'So...Arc Link is giving me another source of power by destroying my memories? Why then haven't I been able to use that other power source?'_ He didn't feel like there were two sources of energy inside him, he still could only feel his Aura.

"You haven't been able to because you have only reached half of Arc Link's potential. You've lost enough of your original memories now that you should have a substantial amount of Aurora."

Yeah, he didn't exactly know what that word meant.

"It's what I call the memory energy that Arc Link creates for you. You'll understand once you actually manage to harness it. Aurora is why Arc Link replicates other memories from those you link with. It fills in the gaps created when Arc Link destroys your original memories using theirs. That way, even once you no longer have anything 'you' left, you'll still be able to live as a human." Well, that certainly explained why he was getting so confused all the time.

 _'So put plainly, Arc Link is destroying me to make me stronger?'_

"Put plainly, yes. Although that does make Arc Link sound more sinister than I prefer to think of it as. You nor I are cruel people by nature. Every choice either of us has ever made was to help someone...however, sometimes that desire forces us to do things we would rather not. I suppose Arc Link is reflective of that part of us too. It truly is the perfect Semblance for people like you and I."

Heh, perfect his ass. He was going to die in five months. Was it even worth getting this Aurora or whatever if he only had that long to live? Sure, he might become a badass among his peers, but what good did that do him when he wouldn't even have enough time on Remnant to make use of that power? Then again, how many times had he thrown his life away of his own will already? Too many to count. Maybe it _was_ perfect that his Semblance would do it for him. At the very least it definitely fit him.

"You never know though, you might make it longer than I did. I didn't have a predecessor helping me out like you do. I didn't even know something like this was possible until you awakened Arc Link for yourself."

' _So you're saying...there are things about Arc Link even you don't know?'_ She gave a small nod and for the first time in forever he felt a bit of hope. Maybe he could still find a way to beat this thing? With the two of them working together he would surely find something. First though...he had to make amends with Blake. It was funny, he had been adamant about not involving her...he supposed the idea of an imminent death was a good motivator. He needed to buy himself all the time he could get. Just how...did he do that though? Shirou was always watching. He probably had his scroll recording all their conversations. He couldn't just tell her about The Omega or he would know.

"You...are aware that you can talk to people through a mental link, right? It's kind of handy for relaying information that you don't want others hearing."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Oh yeah!

"...You're a little more idiotic than I ever remember being."

' _I was under a lot of stress, okay!'_ So it was fine with this, right? Then again, he wasn't actually so sure. He had already gone this far for the sake of protecting Blake. She may be hurt, but she was safe. Even if he was whittling away a little more quickly without her that just meant he had to figure out how to stop Arc Link from killing him faster. Maybe...he could get away with only giving Blake half-truths? That was what Shirou Schnee would do.

"No, that won't work...you have to tell her everything."

' _Everything?'_ He glanced at her and saw her tapping the side of her head.

"She needs to know about the side-effects of Arc Link too. All of them."

But-

"You can't keep this from her forever. It's just another fight waiting to happen. In fact, you need to tell all three of them everything."

' _Okay, I get why I need to tell Blake since she is the closest chance I have at keeping my mind intact, but why them too? You know how evil The Omega is. Weiss is going to be horrified to find out her family was personally involved in unearthing that thing. And Ruby...'_ How could he live with himself knowing he had tainted her innocent soul with the knowledge of that thing?

"Do you know how relationships work, Jaune?" He had no idea how that question had any relevance to what they were talking about. "Relationships aren't any different than Arc Link, really. In a relationship you have to give and you have to take. You can't do just one or the other."

"With Arc Link, the only thing you have done so far is take. You've taken all their memories and bottled them up inside yourself but you haven't given them anything in return. Like I said earlier, you've only been getting half the full value out of it."

' _Wait...you're saying you want me to give them my memories? Let them look at everything?'_ Well, everything he could even remember anymore. Even though he was fading, he had lots of embarrassing memories left, plenty of things he would rather they didn't know.

"It's not any different than what you did to them. They deserve to look inside your head just as you looked inside theirs. Like I said Jaune, it's give and take. Only then will you unlock Arc Link's full potential and be able to harness Aurora."

' _I...I don't know if I could do that. Even if I wanted to...it's better for them if they don't see.'_

"Imagine how it must have felt for them. What's worse, they weren't even given a choice. You have that choice. It would go a long way towards earning Blake's trust again if you showed her that you were strong enough to make it." Her words weren't forceful nor were they cruel. She told them in a calm, gentle, almost neutral tone.

What she was asking him to do though was practically impossible. He didn't think he could bring himself to do it.

Charlotte opened her mouth to continue but paused and tilted her ear up towards the roots above them. Jaune could hear it too. Someone...was yelling. There were other people out here? But why? Weren't classes still going on?

He scurried back up the hollowed trunk but the sounds of shouting were coming from higher up still. Not seeing any other option, he jumped for the lowest hanging branch he could find and began scaling his way up to the top of the jungle. "Oh my, oh my. This doesn't look good." He broke the canopy to see Charlotte already perched on top of the tree and pointing towards some flying Grimm...one of which was carrying a person.

"Ruby!?" Just what was she doing out here? How did she even find this place? Had she come looking for him? He didn't know and the longer he thought about it the further away it took her. "I don't understand. Where is it taking her? Why don't they try to kill her?" Now that he thought about it, the Earth Dragons had done something similar. Was it possible these ones were also answering to that giant Grimm that had chased him down? If that was the case, Ruby was about to be pit against something far above what any single person could fight on their own.

He had to go help her...but there was no way they could defeat that thing with just the two of them.

"There is no way you two could defeat it if you use Arc Link the way you have been...open yourself up to Ruby though, and you just might find that you'll get the edge you need." Damn, he didn't have time to think about this.

"We're going after her." He jumped back down to the forest floor and took off running in the direction it had been carrying Ruby.

"Of course we are." Charlotte appeared several steps ahead. "That's just the type of guy you are, after all."

* * *

"Let me go already!" Ruby flailed her legs and tried to make it as difficult for the Grimm to fly in a straight line as possible but somehow it never lost its grip on her biceps, which was just an inconvenient spot for the Grimm to have grabbed her. If it would have chosen her shoulders or maybe her hood, she could have easily unhooked Crescent Rose and carved this thing to pieces already. As it stood now, she couldn't reach her precious weapon.

Just why was this thing even carrying her off? Several of its buddies were flying beneath her too but not one of them made to rip her to pieces or try and kill her. She got her answer almost a second later as the Grimm finally released her and let her plummet towards the ground. Instinct kicked in and she twirled around before unhooking Crescent Rose and transforming it into a scythe. She pointed the barrel downwards and fired a couple shots to slow her momentum before landing nimbly on the rock beneath her.

She took in her surroundings but no matter how she tried to spin it, this situation didn't look good. She was standing on the flat surface of a rather large elevated rock. Behind her was the wall of the canyon with rocks jutting out at numerous points. On each one of those little inclines sat at least several of the same type of Grimm that had carried her over here. On the other three sides...well, she was surrounded by dozens of Earth Dragons, all of them biting and hissing at one another but none of them charging onto the rock to try and kill her.

There would be no escape from this, even with her Semblance. At one point she would have to stop hard and attempt to cut a path of carnage through them all. She would almost surely get overwhelmed by the sheer density of them before she made nearly enough progress.

Why did this happen? She had just been coming out here to get Jaune. She hadn't been interested in fighting through an army of Grimm but she had been prepared for the possibility. She had just hoped she would have her friend and leader by her side before it came to that. Oh well now, she was going to have fight whether she liked it or not. Although she didn't understand why the Grimm weren't charging her yet.

She checked the rocks above her to see more of those dog-crow Grimm flocking to them. Most of them were either barking at one another or howling into the sky, creating almost too racket for her to think. Meanwhile, more Earth Dragons were coming from the forest and gathering just outside of the elevated rock. It was strange...almost like they were gathering for a show of some kind. Shirou had said these Grimm were smart, but why go through all this trouble? If they jumped her at the same time they could kill her, couldn't they?

A loud thump from the forest was her answer. Then another, followed by several crashes as trees were uprooted and sent tumbling to the ground. The barking, howls, hisses, and growls all stopped as every single Grimm in the area grew quiet. It would appear that the main character for their show was about to arrive.

Another Earth Dragon broke free from jungle, but this one was much larger than the rest and it was undoubtedly the thing she had heard thrashing around earlier. Its giant red eyes locked in on her and it opened its mouth wide. A roar that could only be compared to a hurricane tumbled out its mouth and she had to stick the blade of her scythe into the ground just to keep from being blown away. Some of the smaller Earth Dragon's weren't as lucky and were sent flying onto the rock. They scrambled to get back up as the big one stomped forward.

This wasn't looking good. Not one bit. Ruby liked to think she was normally quite resourceful in a tough spot, but this was a whole other level even she wasn't prepared for. Somehow she was going to need to make an opening to get out of here. That or find this thing's weakness and quick.

The Earth Dragon reached the elevated rock and stepped on a couple of the smaller ones on its way, crushing them and splattering their blood across the ground. It was still a little ways off when it spun its body around and swung its tail at her.

Ruby's Semblance activated with a hum and she vanished from the spot, leaving only scattering petals behind. She appeared next to its ankles and swung Crescent Rose in a powerful cutting arc but it didn't go much as even scratch the Grimm.

Right, not the ankles then.

The Grimm let out another roar that hit Ruby with the force of an explosion, causing her ears to ring and vision to blur. One of its feet lifted over her head and she fired Crescent Rose, the Dust bullet propelling her backwards just in the nick of time. It stomped on the ground where she had just been standing and sent rocks flying in every direction from the force.

She dug the blade of Crescent Rose into the ground and twirled her body so she was standing on top of the shaft. She then fired another dust bullet that dislodged it from the ground and sent her spiralling through the air. Crescent Rose struck the side of the Grimm where arms should have been and she ricocheted off once again without causing any real damage.

Dang, did this thing not have any external weaknesses at all? She hung suspended in the air for a moment and once more the Earth Dragon swung its tail around. She placed her feet on the bottom of her blade and fired another round, sending her flying out of harm's way. What she didn't count on was the force of the tail-whip to be like a tornado.

She was sent spiralling through the air uncontrollably and her body was cut by several small rocks that were lifted by the torrential wind. She flailed to regain control of her body but smashed into the wall of the valley before she could.

"Ohh…" A small groan escaped her lips as she tumbled unceremoniously to the ground. Crescent Rose clattered just in front of her. Mustering all the strength she could, she grabbed it and used the base of the shaft to push herself to her feet.

This was turning out worse than she could've imagined. The Earth Dragon was standing over her, its sharp teeth bared in a twisted smile and she could almost see the taunting challenge in its eyes. Meanwhile, the smaller Earth Dragons and Carrions were making all kinds of noises that she could only describe as some kind of cheer. They were quite literally making a game out of her.

Was this how Grimm got their kicks after they gained some level of intelligence? They were trapped in this valley so whenever a human stumbled in they forced them to fight their strongest one, their champion, while they rest of them watched? How disgusting.

"Ruby!"

Jaune…!

Ruby's head whipped around, looking for the source of his voice. The Champion Earth Dragon gave a low guttural growl as it also turned its focus towards the new arrival. She followed its eyes to see him. He was alive! And he was running to help!

He was sprinting along the side of the wall on a small ledge that led him right up to the rocky outcrops that the Carrions were perched on. The ones closest to him gave warning growls and barks but he didn't pay them any mind as he charged right into them, swinging Crocea Mors wildly. "Ruby! Behind you!"

Uh oh. She whirled around to see the widened maw of the Champion threatening to envelope her. With another hum she vanished on the other side, unfortunately placing it between her and Jaune.

He jumped on the back of one of the Carrions and it took off in the sky, swerving violently in an effort to debunk him. He twisted its neck, forcing it to fly in her direction. The Champion narrowed its eyes at him and swung its tail around, catching him in the tornado-like winds and sending him and the Grimm he was riding on flying towards the jungle.

Just as he passed overhead of her, he let go and plummeted right towards the ground. "Jaune!" Ruby planted Crescent Rose in the ground and raised her hand up to him as he outstretched his hand down towards her.

"Arc-"

"Link!"

* * *

 **AN:** So I've finally officially introduced the Semblance OC, Charlotte. I'm kind of expecting some of you to be disappointed that her name isn't Joan/Jeanne as that kind of would have made the most sense given that she's a female version of Jaune from the past. The big reason I decided away from naming her that is because she isn't an Arc, like she mentioned already. Besides that, I already named Jaune's twin Joan way back in chapter seventeen. So that was out. Anyways, expect to see more of her from here on as she develops into her own character.

I'm kind of really going into the Rewrite references these past couple chapters lately, I even named Jaune's new energy source Aurora, just like Kotarou's ability. There'll be more on that once he actually learns to use it but figured I would mention it this chapter. I was a little hesitant about calling it that since it is written similar to Aura but that actually kind of endeared it more for me. Now I just need not to mix them up when writing, lol.

The Carrions were inspired by Bloodborne. That really is a great game to play if you're ever looking for Grimm inspirations. So many creatures in it are just straight horrifying/awesome.

* * *

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 26_

* * *

Ruby felt her Aura once more pool together with Jaune's and she didn't waste a second in pushing her Semblance through the link. Since it was just the two of them there was no reason not to give him access to her special ability.

' _Ruby, I'm sorry.'_

She shook her head to cut him off. _'I'll listen to what you have to say later. Right now, we have a Grimm to kill.'_ She twirled Crescent Rose around and turned back to face the Champion Earth Dragon in front of her but gave a small start when a blonde girl that hadn't been there before was standing right in her way. "Gah, who are you!?"

"Nice to meet you, Ruby. My name is Charlotte." The girl smiled brightly and gave a small curtsey. Ruby could only look back at Jaune questioningly.

He simply shrugged. _'You said you'll listen later, remember?'_ Yeah, she would like to take that back now. It's not like she expected some stranger to literally materialise out of thin air right in front of her.

Unfortunately for her, the Champion Earth Dragon let out another one of its earth quaking roars and she was forced to give it her full attention once again. _'Aim for the back of its knees. I'll try at the start of the tail. We need to find its weak point. Charlotte, you know anything?'_

"Hmm...no noticeable weaknesses that I can perceive. Keep it busy while I analyse it. I might find something. Oh and Jaune…" She turned back and smiled at him. "Remember, give and take."

' _Not now, Charlotte.'_ He grimaced before he vanished with a loud hum and a trail of yellow rose petals. Ruby didn't exactly know what to make of that interaction. She had never so much as even heard of this girl before yet she and Jaune were talking with one another like they were close friends...maybe even something more. She shook the thought loose, she didn't have much time to worry about it as she also lunged forward to back Jaune up.

Jaune appeared directly beneath the Earth Dragon and slashed at its tail. It didn't look like he caused it any actual damage but the Grimm still growled in annoyance as it spun around and attempted to locate him. Before it could he was gone again with another hum and the scattering of roses.

Ruby took the opportunity to strike it in the back of the knees like Jaune suggested. Once more her weapon bounced off pointlessly. The Earth Dragon spun around to her and opened its mouth to let out another loud roar but just at that moment Jaune struck it in the lower jaw, stuttering it.

' _The back of its neck! Now!'_ He was suspended in the air, completely prone to attack. She was already moving before his thoughts finish transferring to her. The Earth Dragon reached forward in attempt to swallow him whole but Ruby flew behind it, slashing it where Jaune instructed and forcing it to bite down just short of him. He plummeted to the ground.

He hit the rock and she landed on the cliff-face. Not a moment later and they were both gone in a flurry of roses, leaving no trace for the Earth Dragon to attack. _'Charlotte! Have you got anything for us!?'_ They were both spinning rapidly in a circle around the Grimm now, its eyes darting back and forth as it tried to keep track of the intermingling red and yellow roses they left behind.

' _Yeah, why don't you take my advice already? You can't hurt this thing as you are now. It's exterior Grimm hide is too tough.'_ Ruby still had no idea what this advice she was talking about was. If they had a chance to beat this Grimm, why didn't Jaune want to use it?

' _Just because its outside is strong doesn't mean the inside is.'_

' _You seriously want to jump inside that thing's mouth?'_ Even Jaune didn't respond immediately to that Charlotte girl's obvious question. For good reason too, there was no guarantee either of them could survive if they jumped inside its open maw and there was no promise it was any less vulnerable inside to begin with. It was just speculation.

The Earth Dragon apparently grew weary of trying to find them as it gave an irritated sounding growl and stomped one of its razor-clawed feet against the ground, causing it to fracture and split apart. At the speeds the two of them were travelling, neither was able to put their brakes on in time and as the earth in front of them split they stumbled over it and crashed to the ground before rolling to a rough stop.

"Uhh…" Ruby pushed on her elbows to lift herself up and turned her head to see the Earth Dragon looking back and forth between the two of them, debating which one to eat first. All around them, the other Grimm barked and hissed incessantly, as if they too sensed a fatal blow was about to come.

' _Jaune! Quit being so stubborn! You're running out of time!"_ The Earth Dragon finally chose its target and turned towards her, each step it took causing the earth to split further. She struggled to her feet but just as she got on one knee and foot, the Earth Dragon let out another one of its powerful roars the pulsed over her like a concussion shot, forcing her back down and distorting her vision.

' _Ruby!'_ She could barely even hear Jaune's mental call through the link with the crashing waves of sound bearing down on her.

Not even a moment later and something rocketed into her, sending her flying sideways from the force of the blow. She fell outside of the concussive blast of the Earth Dragon's roar and her vision focused in to see Jaune now stranded in it instead, his shield extended forward. He must have bashed her with it using the momentum of her Semblance to eject her out of the distorted field.

Now he was trapped though as the Earth Dragon's maw descended upon him. He was going to get killed! She reached for Crescent Rose before realising it was still where she had fallen, right next to Jaune. She couldn't save him without it.

"Don't worry, he's got a plan." Charlotte's voice startled her and she turned to see she had materialised just to her right. How was this girl doing that? And if she could teleport around like that, couldn't she be helping them out? "Unfortunately, I'm just a memory. I can't physically interfere with reality." And apparently she could read minds.

Ruby glanced back at Jaune just in time to see him put his plan into action. Despite the overbearing force of the Earth Dragon's roar, he had managed to remain standing. He widened his stance and his foot found the blade of Crescent Rose.

Deliberately, he lifted that foot up and stomped down on it, causing the shaft to flip up like a rake. Just before it could slap him in the face though, he caught it with his free hand and his fingers found the trigger. He pulled and Crescent Rose fired, launching him forward from the recoil and outside of harms way just in the nick of time.

Not even a second later and the Earth Dragon's mouth snapped down, ripping apart the space Jaune had just been standing on and sending hunks of broken rock scattering in all directions. Jaune flew through the air and landed nimbly next to Ruby, twirling Crescent Rose with him before planting the blade in the ground.

' _Jaune...'_ That was incredible! _'...I had no idea you knew how to use Crescent Rose like that!'_

' _I don't.'_ He gripped the side of his face, grimacing in pain. _'I let your memories take over for a second. It's not effective for actual battle...but this time it was just enough for me to dodge.'_ His thoughts almost immediately caused her to frown. It was dangerous for him to use her memories in such a way, even she could tell that. Yet she didn't know what kind of damage it was truly causing.

' _Charlotte...I give up. We're doing it your way.'_

' _About time.'_

' _Just one thing before we do this...can you filter the memories I send her at all? I don't have enough control to do it myself and I'm going to be kind of distracted.'_ Filter? Memories? What was he talking about doing?

' _I told you already, Jaune. That's no good. You have to open yourself up completely.'_

' _Just two things. Secrets that aren't mine to share. That's all I'm asking.'_

Charlotte puffed her cheeks but gave a quick nod. _'That...shouldn't be a problem. Just let the memories flow. I'll make sure those two things are obscured from her mind.'_

' _Thanks.'_

Ruby was starting to feel really left out. _'What are you two talking about!?'_

' _You'll see in a moment. We have to move.'_ She followed Jaune's eyes to see the Earth Dragon whip its tail at them. With two loud hums they both dodged backwards and Charlotte vanished into thin air. They landed behind a large boulder that had been created from the splitting rock surface but that wouldn't protect them for long. The Carrions behind them were barking madly, letting the Earth Dragon know their location.

Ruby peeked out to behind the boulder to glance at the Earth Dragon but at that very moment a flash of pain spiked through her head, causing her eyes to only see static. What was going on?

Before she had time to question it she began to see things, things she didn't recognise and yet at the same time seemed familiar. Flashes of girls with different coloured hair, Crocea Mors hanging over a fireplace mantle, a tall man that looked like an older version of Jaune.

These were...his memories.

This was what he felt every time he linked with one of them. So far it was only scattered fragments she was receiving and yet even that felt like it was tearing her mind apart. How much worse was it for him, who had received more than forty years worth of memories almost entirely at once?

' _Ruby! Hang on tight and just let them flow!'_ She felt him wrap his arm around her waist and the ground beneath them shook. Her vision was still being battered by memories so she couldn't see the Earth Dragon but she knew it was coming. Instinctively, she wrapped her arm tightly around Jaune and he warped them out of harm's way, playing a terrible game of cat and mouse with the Dragon until she could finally acclimate with his memories and function on her own again.

Things began to get familiar as he extended his hand to a girl laying on the ground, a crater next to her. Then they were launched into Emerald Forest. The moment he met Blake. She saw herself fall from the sky. A memory of him and Blake kissing, the Chimera charging them.

Ozpin. Faked transcripts. A mission. Suddenly things began falling into place and even though only seconds were passing by in reality she was receiving the information in full bursts now, her brain making sense of it far more quickly than she thought possible.

Then another flash of pain. Jaune was standing over something...indescribable. Her brain throbbed just trying to comprehend it. The Omega. Shirou Schnee called it that. The true purpose of Lambent. His fight with Blake, including what happened to his room. Charlotte and who she really was. What his Semblance was doing to him.

Everything became clear to her in that moment.

And just like that, the memories stopped.

Her eyes opened.

' _Jaune...'_ She looked up at him helplessly, his hair billowing in the wind as he continued to dodge around. He was severely slowed down while having to carry her as well and was just barely staying ahead of their enemy at this point.

' _We...can talk about all that later. Right now, we need to survive.'_ She grimaced at his words. There were so many things she wanted to say. So many things she needed to say to him. Yet of course he was right. All of that was pointless if they got killed first.

' _How do we kill this thing? Sharing your memories with me was supposed to let you use Aurora, right? Do you even know how to use it?'_ Nowhere in the memories she received did he ever use that ability outside of healing critical injuries.

' _Leave that part to me.'_ Charlotte's voice echoed through the mental link, although Ruby couldn't see her anywhere. _'Our counterattack begins now.'_

* * *

Jaune couldn't really describe what he was feeling right now, but if he had to guess he would say they were Charlotte's memories...or rather her knowledge of Aurora flowing into him. She was giving him all the information he needed to make use of this power that before today he didn't even know he had. Power that he was going to need if he wanted to kill this S-class Grimm with just one other person.

It had taken eight of them to kill that Chimera and this Grimm was undoubtedly something on par with that. Yet they had no choice to do it with a fourth of the power they had back then. It was only in the face of these insurmountable odds that he agreed to share his memories with Ruby. Now that he had done that though, there was no way he could get out of not sharing them to Weiss and Blake as well.

Whether he liked it or not, his path was set. Ruby wouldn't let him get away without sharing it with them and it would be more disastrous if she were to tell them first as he would truly lose his entire team's trust for good.

' _Jaune! Focus! You know what you need to do now, right?'_ Yeah, yeah. He glanced sideways to see Charlotte standing on one of the upturned rocks. She was looking ahead at the Earth Dragon that was still trying to find where they had warped to this time.

' _Ruby, can you move now?'_ He looked down at her just in time to see her give a small nod, her silver eyes refusing to look away from him. He couldn't stand the look in her eyes right now. There were just too many emotions flowing through them at once, but the most resounding one was fear...and not because of the situation they were in, but for his life even if they managed to survive this.

He didn't have time to worry about that and really, neither did she.

Instead he focused on his right forearm. Earlier, he had woken up in the bottom of this valley with no knowledge of how he got there. Most unusual though was Crocea Mors had been shoved through his forearm. He had pulled it out but hadn't had the time to properly heal the wound and the scar tissue and either side of his arm was still there.

So he chose to focus on that. _'Good, just like that.'_ Charlotte called into him. _'Aurora is only capable of leaking out through wounds. In that regard it is much more limited than Aura.'_

The Earth Dragon let out another roar and began to charge, meaning it had found them. Just great. He only had a couple seconds to get this and get it right.

His wound began glowing on either end, but unlike the usual golden glow of his Aura, this was different. It was an odd combination of various shades of red, green, and purple that waved together in small waves and began wrapping around his arm. He and Ruby stared at it with wide eyes. _'Now…what do I do with it?'_ The ground shook violently with every step the Earth Dragon took. He tried to will the Aurora to do something but it didn't do anything but shimmer around the wound on his arm.

' _Aurora isn't Aura, Jaune. You can't ask it to do something so specific...it's better to think of it as a living power with a will of its own. Ask it to protect you and it will handle the rest.'_ Just what kind of power was this?

The Earth Dragon took one last step before spinning around and swiping at them with its tail. Ruby clung tightly to his arm and he prepared to use his Semblance to warp them away. _'Don't run! Stand your ground! Let the Aurora handle it!'_

He grit his teeth and locked his feet in the ground. He had no idea what Charlotte was talking about...but if all he had to do was want something general, than he just wanted to protect Ruby right now. Please don't let her get killed because of his stupid emotional tirade. Please...just protect her, that was all he was going to ask.

The unusual glow on his arm shone more brightly for a split second before two streaks bent and curved away from his arm in a jagged pattern before merging together just between him and the swinging tail.

They created a pulsing orb upon mixing together and the moment the tail struck it that orb exploded outwards in a shimmering wall of green, red, and purple that effortlessly repelled the Earth Dragon's attack, staggering the massive Grimm in the process.

' _Wha...'_

' _Amazing...'_

' _That...is Aurora.'_

Jaune and Ruby could only stare forward in shock while Charlotte smirked confidently. _'Now while you have a second, Jaune.'_ He glanced at his predecessor out of the corner of his eye. _'Fine tune the Link...the stronger the connection the two of you have the power life Aurora will have. Hurry before the Grimm recovers.'_

' _Fine tune...'_ He focused in on the link before himself and Ruby. Right now the only thing passing between them was Aura. At the moment there was no passing of memories. So he opened the link up more completely, allowing even her current flowing memories to flow into him and his into her. For just a moment, his vision distorted...no; it didn't distort; his vision doubled. Or rather, he began to see things through Ruby's eyes. He heard the things Ruby could also hear and feel his own arm as she clung to it.

The same thing was happening to her and even though he was no long calling out to her mentally he knew every thought that was going through her even as they went through his own head. In essence...their two minds at that moment had become one.

The Earth Dragon growled noisily at them and lunged with its maw this time. Together, they willed for the Aurora to protect them. The shimmering energy once more streaked out in a jagged line to meet the Earth Dragon head on. When the streaks merged together, they formed a massive pool of energy that contorted into what appeared to them as a giant Dragon head.

The Aurora beast's head snaked forward and around like a twisting goliath, biting down into the back of the Earth Dragon's neck. The Grimm let out a scream of pain as blood flew out from the wound created by the Aurora beast's bite.

Their eyes widened at the power displayed by this new energy. It...had managed to hurt this Grimm, one they hadn't been capable of even putting a scratch on until now.

The Grimm grit its teeth in anger and extended on of it claw feet in the air, kicking at the stretching neck of the Aurora beast, successfully destroying it and causing the head to fade from existence. It took a couple hurried steps back, and gave a low guttural growl as it narrowed its eyes at the two of them.

They had yet to move from their spot where they had started their resistance. The two of them stood straight, Ruby's hands clinging to Jaune's arm and the Aurora leaking out of his forearm in giant globs that pooled into a stringy-like wave that shimmered and danced in front of them.

The sound of flapping above them drew Ruby's eyes and Jaune didn't even have to turn his head for when she looked upwards he could see several of the Carrions begin to dive at them. From his vision, he saw several of the smaller Earth Dragons charge and he knew she could see that too.

Their two minds working as one caused the Aurora in front of them to split into as many as ten different strands, one for each of the Grimm that were attacking them. Five of them formed thick spears the jabbed at the Carrions, piercing them through the gut. They gave pained whimpers before turning to smoke around the glowing makeshift weapons.

The other strands turned into lashing whips that struck at the small Earth Dragons the moment they got within range, cleaving their legs clean off in one swipe before brutally whipping them repeated, each time causing violent amounts of blood to spray out and cover the walls and ground in their blood.

The last Grimm quit twitching and started to smoke and all the strands rescinded back into the wave that hung in front of them, once more shimmering peacefully, quietly. If they hadn't just witnessed it brutally murder Grimm like they were nothing more than insects they wouldn't have thought it was capable of even harming one.

' _Now's your chance...finish off the Champion. It still hasn't been able to size up your ability which means it doesn't know how to counter it.'_ It looked like what Charlotte said was true...for the first time ever they saw fear in the Grimm's eyes. The two of them...had struck fear into an S-class rank Grimm. What's more, they did it without taking a single step, leaving the Aurora to fight for them.

Simultaneously they let out confident smirks as the Aurora in front of them continued to dance, twisting a splitting into fragments that grew in size before forming maws of their own. Individually they were only about half the size of the head of the Earth Dragon's but there was six of them to the Grimm's one.

The heads extend towards the Earth Dragon growing in length rapidly. As they get longer they form multiple joints each time they twist, turn, and bend, making them incredibly nimble.

The Earth Dragon let's out one of its concussive roars but the beating force of the soundwave has no effect on the Aurora beasts and they continue unhindered right up to the Grimm. The first two Aurora beasts reached the Grimm and one grabbed in on the side of the neck while the other bit down onto its shoulder.

It growled in a mix betwen pain and agitation as it craned its neck forward and bit down on the joints of one of the beasts. It tore it apart, causing the head to diminish and melt apart like it was made of ice. Unfortunately for the Grimm, the part of the Aurora still connected to them reformed another head that once more extended and bit down on it again. The other heads all reached the Grimm as well, biting down all over it, on its tail, legs and one even grabbed it in the lower jaw.

What followed was a gruesome show of carnage that was almost unbearable to watch...even though it was happening to a Grimm. The teeth of the Aurora beasts sunk into the Dragon's flesh and pull out full hunks of it at a time. Loud tearing noises followed by fountains of blood as the black meat was pulled free from the Grimm's bones nearly caused the two of them to retch.

The Grimm gave a weakened roar but it was no longer capable of fighting back as the skin around its knees and ankles were ripped away from it. It collapsed to the ground where it gave a final whimper of pain.

That should have been enough. The Grimm was beyond saving anymore. It would die even if they left it alone. If Jaune or Ruby had been in control they would have moved on already. That wasn't the principle by which Aurora worked though. They had given it a command...and by a will of its own it sought to finish out that command with the utmost efficiency and brutality. That was the type of power that it was.

So even with the Grimm dying on the ground the Aurora beasts didn't stop as they descended upon it, continuing to tear it apart into pieces, spitting flesh, bones, and blood in every direction and causing it to rain down upon the spectating small Grimm that stood unmoving, unblinking despite having their Champions innards doused upon them.

Ruby couldn't watch anymore and averted her eyes, yet because of the link she could still see it as Jaune couldn't bring himself to look away from the unexpected brutality of his power.

' _This...is the true power of Arc Link.'_ They realised together. The power to link them to this living energy of memories called Aurora. Link to it and allow it to fight for you. The weight of Arc Link's repercussions were severe, too severe. However, that was because it allowed him to use this unmatched power, a power that if they weren't careful with could cause unspoken atrocities.

They knew after watching this display...this was never a power he could use against other humans, even in a spar. It was simply too dangerous an ability, too unpredictable.

Finally, the Grimm ceased any breathing and died, only remnants of its former monstrous self left. It was amazing it had survived as long as it had, a true testament to its overwhelming power and tenacity. With the task accomplished, the Aurora beasts shrunk back to his forearm where it shimmered for another several seconds before it appeared to melt away into the sunlight.

Left in its place was the reopened gash on either side of his arm that was now bleeding profusely. It should've hurt, in fact, he knew it did hurt. But after watching the torture that Grimm had been put through he couldn't bring himself to complain about the pain even inside his own head. It just felt insignificant in comparison.

He let the enhanced link fade away and instead returned them to a state where only their Aura was being shared between them. Ruby still refused to pull her head from his sleeve. He wanted to say something to her, offer her some kind of words of encouragement, but at the moment his emotions felt too numb to even do that.

Just...what kind of Semblance was this really? Every time he discovered something new about it his whole perception of it was forced to change. Yet each facet of the Semblance was made because it was a part of his soul...wasn't it? If that was true though, did that make what the Aurora did a part of him too?

"It's a scary thought, isn't it?" Charlotte casually strolled up to him, her lips pressed into a thin line while she made an expression he couldn't place. "I used to wonder why something forged from my soul could create such a terrible power."

"Then...you found an answer?" His voice was hoarse and his throat dry.

"Maybe. You and me, we've always been afraid of where our power would lead us. We always want the power to protect people but what if that same power hurts others? The Aurora beasts are a reminder and at the same time an actualization of that fear. At least, that's the answer I came up with."

Just what the Hell?

That was the only thought that felt appropriate to him. He couldn't agree nor disagree with Charlotte's answer because he really didn't have a better one to offer, yet he didn't want to admit that this power was based in his own fears. With no way to disprove her theory though, he kept his mouth shut.

"Now we need to worry about getting you out of here." Charlotte turned to the massive crowd of Earth Dragons. None of them had yet to move. Frankly speaking, he had no idea if they were going to charge them in rage or run away from them in fear. Even the Carrions behind them were deathly quiet. It was unnerving, not knowing what they would do next.

Before anyone could make a move, an explosion in the base of the cliffside shook the ground and nearly caused Ruby and Jaune to stumble over. "Oh what now?" He grumbled as the side of the rock wall off to the side collapsed, burying at least several dozen of the Earth Dragons that had been too close to it.

"Jaune! Ruby!" Immediately, Ruby perked up and spun her head around and followed Jaune's gaze to the top of the rubble that had just been formed. Standing upon it were the other two that had come out to this place along with her, Sun and Neptune. They were waving frantically for the two of them to come over. Checking periodically to see if the Grimm would begin to charge them at any moment.

"...Ruby, let's get out of here." Jaune ruffled her hair gently and she gave a small nod, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. If he had to guess, he would say the cause of those tears were many things right now. Relief that they had made it. Sadness for their brutalized enemy. Fear for his future.

The two of them stumbled their way up the broken rubble and only once they reached the top did Sun and Neptune relax even a little. "I can't believe that two of you are alive...what in the Hell went on over here?" Sun patted Jaune roughly on the shoulder. "More importantly, are you okay? How did you end up out here by yourself?" Jaune noticed they were both looking at his exposed wound on his forearm. Even now he was keeping his Aura from healing it but he was losing blood steadily. He needed to heal the wound eventually.

"Let's talk on the way. We need to go before the Grimm regroup." Neptune patted Ruby on the back and she gave a small nod. The three of them started to make their way down the rubble but Jaune paused once more to look at the Grimm. They still weren't looking at them at all, their eyes transfixed where their Champion had fallen.

Had it really been that much of a shock to them?

"Something isn't right." He called aloud. He wasn't looking at them but he could hear the three of them stop their descent.

"Who cares!? Let's go!" Sun yelled back but Jaune already wasn't listening.

"The smoke…" Charlotte was just next to him again. Smoke from the dead Earth Dragons beneath the rubble was rising up around and their feet and drifting into the air. Smoke from the dead Champion the other Grimm they killed was also dissipating upwards.

That wasn't unusual, smoke always arose from dead Grimm. It was just something that happened as the Grimm degenerated, like a natural phenomena. What didn't make sense, was the way the smoke was moving. It was all drifting in a general direction towards the high rising cliff, regardless of which way the wind was blowing.

Jaune followed the smoke to where it was collecting and there he saw it: that monkey Grimm from before. Its eyes were stitched shut, a rail spike went through its ears, and the lower part of its jaw was missing. Yet somehow it looked like it was consuming all of the dust left behind by the disintegrating Grimm.

This was just like when he first saw it. Grimm smoke had swirled into a tornado around some kind of beating black orb that it had used to form its body. Now it already had a body yet it was consuming more?

"I see now. I was too naive to think things were as simple as that." The look on Charlotte's face darkened as she stared at the Grimm. He wasn't sure what frightened him more, the fact that the Grimm was doing something unknown or the expression she was making right now.

"What's going on? What is it doing?" He glanced back and forth between her and it.

"Who are you talking to?" Sun climbed back up to where he was. "And what is that thing?" He could also see the Grimm now that he was back atop the rubble.

"The scroll doesn't have any information on it at all." Neptune was staring in horror at the device in his hand. "Is it some kind of new Grimm?"

Jaune looked to Charlotte, waiting for her answer so he could relay it. "It's...not a new Grimm. Quite the opposite. It is the oldest type of Grimm that exists."

"What do you mean?" Ruby was the last one to come back up. Sun and Neptune shared a confused look, still unable to see who they were talking to.

Charlotte's look had yet to lighten as she stared at the Grimm. "If the Omega is the final stage of all Grimm, than this one is the very first stage. An Alpha...or as we called them when I was alive, a Prime Evil."

"Prime Evil…" Jaune and Ruby recited the word aloud together.

"It is the Grimm that creates all other Grimm in whatever image it sees fit. When old Grimm die and their smoke drifts into the air that smoke is inevitably drawn to one of these Prime Evils. Usually the smoke is untrackable as it becomes so dilluded when it mixes and scatters with the air. Because we're so close to one though, we can see it as it happens."

"Wait, this thing creates Grimm? Every Grimm we ever thought was created by one of these things?" Jaune was now looking back at the Grimm with renewed horror.

"...All this time, all the Grimm that me, my mother, my uncle, everyone has ever killed...you're saying it was just recycled back out by one of these things." Ruby's knees wobbled and it looked like she might collapse at any moment. Her eyes were wide and shaking as emotions so powerful surged through her Jaune could easily detect them through the link.

"That...sounds majorly bad, doesn't it?" Even only hearing half the information, Sun and Neptune were trying to follow the conversation as best as they could.

"Jaune. We need to kill that thing, now. Prime Evil come in different forms so I didn't recognise this one at first but now that I know what it is-" Charlotte pointed at it and turned her scowling expression on him. "-no matter what we can't let it finish absorbing that smoke."

"Are you crazy? That thing is insanely strong. I watched it reform from almost nothing. Besides, it can't get out of here. The cliffs are too high."

"That type of thinking is naive!" He took a step back from Charlotte's unexpected shout. "That Grimm has been manipulating everything from the moment you got here, don't you see that!?" What...was she talking about? "That Dust water in the cave where we first met. Grimm without Aquatic scales are allergic to it, they can't go near it."

So then…

"That's why the Prime Evil forced you down here! That's why it kept you from leaving! That's why it kidnapped Ruby and forced you into a fight with the Champion! It manipulated all the Grimm because it knew you had the power to kill one that big! Now that is has that much Grimm smoke it can create a new Grimm that it can use to fly out of here!"

Oh shit…!

If that thing left...if that thing made it to the Omega…!

He whirled back to the Prime Evil and raised his wounded right arm. Blood gushed from it still but he didn't pay it any mind as green, purple, and red light filtered out from either side of the wound.

"Since when could you do that?" Sun and even Neptune stared at his new power in bewilderment. He didn't pay them any mind. He just willed the Aurora to destroy the Prime Evil, it could be as brutal as it wanted to, he didn't care. He just wanted that thing dead.

A myriad of multi-coloured tendrils oozed out from the Aurora source. He flexed his fingers and as if given the signal the tendrils fired off towards the Prime Evil, creating joints and limbs as they bended on the way, the tips of them hardening into unparalleled spears that could pierce anything.

The Prime Evil tilted its head towards him, yet despite being blind could clearly sense the incoming attack. It didn't matter though. If the Aurora reached it, the Grimm was dead either way. There was no way it could survive the brutality of his new power.

At least, that was what he assumed. The problem was, his Aurora never even had a chance to get close. The back of the Prime Evil twisted and convulsed before something unimagined happened: a Grimm crawled out of its back.

A giant wide Grimm that was about three times as tall as they were with puny legs, a massive upper body and arms as thick as tree trunks emerged from the back of the Prime Evil. It had a rounded head that appeared attached to the torso, two small slanted eyes being the only indication that it had a head at all.

"It's a Golem!" Neptune recited the information that was already displaying on his scroll.

"Are you shitting me? That thing actually went and spawned a new Grimm!" If there was any doubt in their minds before, it was erased with this proof. This thing was the source of all Grimm that they fought. Or at the very least, one of them. One of many, one of a few? They had no idea. Yet here was one right in front of them.

Jaune grit his teeth but didn't give up hope. He had told the Aurora to destroy the Prime Evil. Odds are, it would continue to do that, going as far as to either ignore the Golem or just go right through it and kill it in the process. Either way the result wasn't going to change.

The Golem raised one of its tree-trunk sized arms just as his Aurora spears reached it. These spears...they could pierce anything, he didn't have any basis for that yet somehow he knew without a doubt it was true. Maybe because he was linked to Aurora and it was a living energy with a will of its own? He was able to detect its own confidence in its abilities.

Yet the Golem swung at the spears anyways. When its trunk-like arm reached his spears...the impossible happened. The Aurora spears bent and broke, shattering apart like ice into dozens of tiny fragments. "Wha-!"

"The arms of the Golem...are capable of destroying anything they come into contact with if given enough momentum." Neptune reported unencouragingly. So...that was how it was. His spears capable of piercing anything clashed with the strength of something that could destroy anything. In the end, one or the other would have to give and in the end those were his spears.

That didn't mean that outcome was determined to happen that way every time. His Aurora...he wasn't sure but it felt like it got angry, as if its pride had been wounded. The tendrils formed another round of spears right at the tips and jabbed forward again.

Once more the Golem swung an arm to meet them.

And once more the Golem's arm appeared victorious as the spears shattered into fragments of red, green, and purple light.

The Aurora wasted no time in creating another wave of spears that jabbed forward yet again. This time the Golem didn't have the opportunity to swing forward in time and the spears tore into its arm like it was made of paper, causing it crumbled apart and disintegrate. The Golem shattered the Aurora with its other arm but before it could move more spears dug into that one as well, crumbled it to pieces like the one before it.

The spears continued on, digging into its body and ripping it apart just as brutally as it had done with the Champion Earth Dragon. The Golem had just enough life left in it to tips its body over the side of the cliff, bringing all the spears that were still drilled into its core tumbling right along with it.

It would take time for the spears to finish puncturing through the Grimm and then to make it back up the cliff. Unfortunately for the them, The Prime Evil had just absorbed the last of the smoke it needed.

Three Carrions flew to the Prime Evil and fluttered in the air just over it. Jaune and the others were helpless to watch as it grabbed the neck of two of them and snapped them, instantaneously killing them.

The hanging tongue on the Prime Evil stretched and snaked forward, wrapping around the neck of the third one before sliding down the flying Grimm's throat. The tongue began pulsing and throbbing as some kind of essence was transferred from the Prime Evil to the Carrion.

The Grimm shuddered and its body began bubbling all over as it convulsed and twitched uncontrollably. Its body expanded and pressed into the two dead Carrions around it. Instead of pushing the dead bodies, out of the way, it absorbed them and left the two remaining dog heads which all fused to the one body. With every pulse and bubble, the body expanded outwards rapidly. In a manner of seconds it was as big as a Beowulf. Then an Ursa. Then it grew to the size of a Giant Nevermore.

Yet it didn't stop there. It continued to grow until it was larger than the Champion Earth Dragon they had been fighting. It stretched its massive wings and gave a powerful beat, sending a gust of wind in every direction that nearly blew the four teenage Hunters off their feet. "What the Hell is that thing!?" Sun shouted over the torrential wind.

"It's not good for us!" Was Jaune's quick response, as the Aurora around his wound dissipated, cutting him off from the spears that had finally broke through the Golem. Even those melted to nothing without being connected to the source anymore.

Finally, the wind let up enough for them to be able to clearly see and easily stand again. The giant Grimm, it looked like a Carrion but it had three dog heads instead of just two. Not to mention its ungodly size.

"That thing...the scroll lists it as an Unfallen Cerberus. As you may have guessed...it's S-class." Neptune dropped to his knees as he stared at his scroll.

"Heh heh, just great." Sun ran a hand through his hair. "Say Neptune, on a scale of one to Jaune, how fucked are we right about now?"

"Oh, we're Jaune. We are very, very Jaune."

"I'm right here, assholes." What was up with that scaling system? Sure he ended up in bad situations more often than others but that was just mean making him the highest rating on the scale.

The Unfallen Cerberus bent one of its massive heads forward and they watched as the Prime Evil climbed on top of it. Helpless to do anything about it, they could only watch as the Grimm took off into the sky.

Before it got too far away though, just over the top of the valley, it turned towards them and all three of its mouths opened up at the same time. Black energy began pooling in a giant ball in front of the three open maws...a technique that was incredibly familiar to Jaune.

"It's using the same type of Grimm blast that the Chimera used." And it was aiming it right at them.

He really doubted his shield was big enough to protect all four of them. He gripped his bleeding wound. He was going to have to trust his Aurora, there were really wasn't any other option.

"I don't suppose this is a bad time to give you a kiss for good luck?" Ruby giggled nervously as she grabbed the hem of his shirt.

"Heh, you're only saying that because you know what happened the last time I ended up in this situation." Back then he had just wanted to kiss a girl before he died. Who knew he would end up falling in love with that girl too?

He felt a wet sensation against his cheek as Ruby gave him a quick peck.

Oh, so she had been serious.

"For good luck. Please save us now." She reiterated quietly, fumbling with the hem of her cloak. The black orb was so large now it was blocking out the sun.

"Is there even any saving us from that?" Sun dropped down to his butt just next to Neptune who was still on his knees.

"We'll never know until we try." The Aurora was already once again pooling out from Jaune's wound and began swirling around them as it created a dome of protection. Just before it finished, forming the Unfallen Cerberus launched the giant black orb right at them. The last thing Jaune saw before the Aurora completely covered them was it descending towards them in what looked like slow-motion.

For several seconds nothing happened and they all waited in bated silence for some kind of reaction or for it just to all end. What happened next was a concussive explosion unlike anything any of them had ever felt or heard. The Aurora showed no signs of activity on the outsides yet the ground around them shook violently with the force of a powerful earthquake that ravaged the land. The rubble beneath them crumbled apart and they all hung suspended in the air as they realized his dome was actually a perfect sphere that completely encompassed them.

Luck for them too that the Aurora had a will of its own because Jaune would not have thought to cover their feet and they would've been incinerated from below. It felt like they were floating in the air for several seconds before they crashed roughly into the ground.

They rolled around inside the sphere, unable to regain proper footing as it rolled around this way and that before finally coming to a halt. As it did, cracks began to appear all over the interior surface.

"We're dead." Sun mumbled as the dome shattered apart completely and they all fell back out into the open world. What followed them was blistering dirt and scorching smoke but no flaming inferno or instantaneous searing death.

The attack was over...and they were merely stranded in the aftermath of it. Stranded, but alive.

"No way…" Neptune stumbled to his feet, pulling his goggles over his eyes and pulling up a face mask to protect his mouth. Ruby covered herself with her hood and wrapped some of the cloth over her nose and mouth. Jaune nor Sun were as lucky or prepared as the two of them. "...You actually saved us."

"We're not out of the woods yet." Well, technically they were as the jungle around them just blew up but he digressed. "I've lost too much blood and I'm sealing the wound. If that happens again I'm not going to be able to get out the Aurora fast enough to protect us...and even if I do it'll probably kill me." Just what he needed, another way for his own Semblance to murder him.

"That was an interesting experience, standing in the middle of an explosion." Charlotte plopped down next to him. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen her in the Aurora sphere at all.

"Must be fun, doing crazy things since you're already dead." He leaned back on the ground and stared up at the smoke above him. The warm dirt actually felt kind of nice.

"I'm certainly having a lot of neat experiences since meeting you." Charlotte gave a soft smile before it once more turned into a grimace. "You need to warn someone at Lambent. If the Prime Evil makes it to the Omega...well, then the four of you may be the only group to make it out of this alive today."

"Ah...Hell." All he wanted was to find and connect with his predecessor. How did things get so convoluted from that? Seriously, he couldn't step one foot into the outside world without setting off a potentially world-ending disaster.

He pulled out his scroll but before he could even unlock it Sun interrupted him. "Does anyone else hear that?"

He listened a little more intently but at first didn't hear anything more than the rising smoke. After several seconds though another noise began to permeate through the silence. The sound of an engine.

Just as he recognised it, the remaining smoke in the area was blown away by the powerful turbulence of an incredibly enhanced looking bullhead. The thrusters of it was being powered by some type of green dust and it was armed with some pretty heavy looking weaponry. "You are all okay!" The relieved voice of someone incredibly familiar shouted through the loudspeaker on the bullhead.

"Penny!" All of them exclaimed in shock at the same time. Before they could ask anything further, the hatch on either side of the bullhead opened and four of her folded swords attached to wires descended down to them. The swords unfolded to a ninety-degree angle, creating a step for them to use. They each grabbed a wire and quickly hopped on before it began to lift them back up.

As they ascended, Jaune took in the surrounding area. A huge hunk of the jungle was gone, a giant crater left in its place. Even the side of the cliff they had been fighting by had been reduced to nothing widening the valley even further. He couldn't even fathom the destructive force behind that blast. And that thing was heading to Lambent.

He looked up into the sky but of course it was no longer there, already on its way to Lambent most likely.

They reached the ship and hopped into it but Penny was visible. They turned to see a seal door at the forefront of the ship where the pilot sat. "Penny, are you flying this thing?" Ruby looked around the interior of the ship in pure elation. It was a technological wonderland in here so no doubt she was excited.

"I am indeed the pilot. Jaune may enter the cockpit, but I must request that no one else accompany him." Penny's voice came over the intercom. Sun and Neptune shared a quick look before shrugging.

"Your girlfriend wants you." Sun took a seat and kicked his feet up, clearly just happy to be out of danger for the moment. If only he knew they were all in danger, more so than ever.

"Was this made for Penny? I'm getting the sense of some serious favoritism here." Neptune was admiring the technology alongside Ruby.

' _Jaune! You've got to check this out! I've never seen such technology...then again, when I was alive we were still learning to use Dust so I haven't really seen any technology but even I can tell this is amazing!'_ He gave a sigh at Charlotte's enthused voice that must have been coming from the cockpit where she undoubtedly already was.

Jaune walked up to the pilot door and it slid open automatically, allowing him inside. Upon entering, he found Penny placed right in the center, all kind of cords and electronics hooked up to her and not a single speck of some kind of actually control panel. The door slid closed behind him as he sat next to her in an unmanned seat. "Professor Yen made this for you?"

"Aunty Yen did construct this with me in mind, yes." Now that he was seated, the ship began to take off, lifting them higher into the air and after the Unfallen Cerberus. He didn't really pay attention to that though, instead focusing on Penny's rather short and clipped manner of speaking.

"Penny...are you...mad?"

"Of course I am mad!" She whirled on him, flailing her arms violently. "How could I not be mad!? Shirou Schnee calls me and says that you've gone off to one of the most dangerous places on Remnant all by yourself and you expect me to not be mad!?" Ah, so Shirou was the one to call her after all. Maybe that guy did care?

"Penny, I'm sorry." He leaned back in his chair. "I know you must have been worried."

"I was very worried! I do not know what I would have done if something happened to you!" Her green eyes shimmered brightly and he wondered if she were capable of crying would she be right now? Just thinking that made him feel awful.

Unfortunately, he did not have time to talk about things like that right now. "Penny, can you call Shirou from this thing? I need to talk to him urgently."

"He is already on call."

Huh?

"Greetings, Jaune. That was quite the big Grimm you managed to peeve off."

"If you're already listening say something sooner you asshole!" Jaune looked up at the speaker as he yelled.

"And interrupt your mushy reunion? That wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me." Mushy his ass, this guy was something else. No, before all that he needed to hurry up and explain the situation.

"Uhh...Shirou, I may have some bad news."

"Worse than the news that you are apparently a suicidal sociopath?" Okay, he had that one coming.

"That Grimm that I pissed off...it may be on its way to Lambent."

"..."

"..."

"God damnit, Jaune."

* * *

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

 **Auburn**

 _Chapter 27 - Prime_

* * *

"Why won't anyone answer!?" Weiss banged her head against the table in the cafeteria and had to fight the urge to rip her hair out.

She couldn't get in contact with anyone from her team. Not her leader, Jaune. Not her partner, Ruby. Not even Blake. They had all mysterious vanished, Ruby having run out just before class started, and not one of them would answer their Scroll.

"I bet they're planning a surprise party just for you!" Nora patted her roughly on the back.

"Don't touch me!" Weiss attempted to wave her hand away but somehow Nora was already gone and next to her partner, as if she had never been left to begin with.

"Weiss might be right…" Yang was staring at her own scroll in worry. "Ruby's scroll goes right to voicemail. It only does that if it's off or in battle mode."

"You think the three of them went out to fight Grimm?" Ren offered in his usual quiet tone.

"It seems unlikely. They shouldn't need any GKP." Pyrrha gave Weiss a concerned look as the heiress mulled over the possibilities.

Jaune and Ruby aside, she could see those idiots going out to kill Grimm if only to use it as an excuse to skip class. It wouldn't do them any good, of course. They would lose any GKP they acquired for skipping. That didn't mean they had necessarily thought of that. However, unlike the two of them, Blake's scroll actually rang and she just chose not to answer it. That meant of the three of them, she was at least deliberately avoiding her calls. Now the question was, why?

She hadn't done something to upset any of them, had she? Sure, she could be difficult to deal with sometimes, but she thought they had all been getting along rather well lately. Yet here she was being ignored by them and until one of them had the decency to respond to her calls she could do nothing but conjecture.

"You look tense, little niece." The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she whirled around to see her uncle standing directly behind her, giving his usual cocky smirk. Although this time it appeared a little forced, something she was only capable of recognising because of her long history with him. She doubted any of the others could tell.

"Something sure stinks over here." Yang picked up her tray of food and made to move to another table. The rest of her team was halfway out of their chairs to follow when Shirou interrupted.

"And here I thought you would be interested in knowing what your little sister was up to... Oh well."

"The Hell did you say!?" Her tray clattered to the ground and she closed the distance between them faster than anyone could blink, grabbing him by the collar. "What did you do to my sister!?"

Shirou's grin got slightly bigger as Yang undoubtedly reacted exactly as he wanted her to. "I suppose it only makes sense for you to assume I am always the bad guy in everything that happens. However, I simply have information that you may find interesting."

"Quit beating around the bush and tell me where my sister is already!" Yang cocked a fist back in a threat to punch him. An act that was utterly pointless in Weiss' eyes.

"Your sister has gone after her leader, Jaune Arc, along with Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias, to the Valley of the Ancients."

"What?" Yang's grip on his collar loosened slightly in confusion and she turned to the others to see if they knew what he was talking about. They could all only shrug, clearly just as confused as she was.

"I have sent Miss Penny to retrieve them already...however, it would appear they've angered a rather volatile Grimm...and it is now on the way to destroy Lambent."

Weiss quirked her eyebrow. "I'm...not sure I follow." If Jaune and Ruby pissed off a Grimm then why would it be coming here?

"Don't sweat the details." Shirou dismissed her question just like that. If anyone else would have done it she would've been suspicious but coming from her uncle it was probably just another way for him to piss her off. "Anyways, I've checked it out on the radar...and it looks like it has gathered an army of Grimm that is now charging right towards us. I imagine the alarm for a code red will be sounding at any moment."

"What!?" Several of them cried at once.

"Oh quit sounding so surprised at every little thing I say. It's getting old." He could at least try to look annoyed while he said that. "Anyways, I shall be reporting to the front lines if you all would like to join me."

"What? You're saying you'll fight by our side this time?" Yang grumbled in sarcastic disbelief. "I thought you just wanted to kick back and watch us suffer?"

"This and that game at Razor Canyon are two separate incidents." Shirou brushed her hand off his collar. "I am going to fight. If you want to hold onto past grudges and stay inside that is fine with me." Just as he finished talking, red lights began to flash on and off as an automated voice came over the intercom, signalling the start of a code red.

Weiss clicked her teeth. "You're being too presumptuous as usual, Uncle." She got to her feet and gripped Myrtenaster. "If my knuckleheaded teammates are the cause of this than of course I am going to fight."

"Damnit, Ruby. We're going to have a long talk when you get back." Yang cracked her knuckles with a vicious gleam in her eye.

"Yay, come on Ren! Let's go!" Nora began to drag her partner along and Pyrrha hurried after them. Weiss and her uncle followed shortly after Yang.

"You said Ruby and Jaune. What about Blake?" She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye but as usual, his face betrayed nothing of what he was actually thinking.

"She was not involved in their excursion to the Valley of the Ancients. I frankly have no idea what your final teammate is up to." She had no choice but to take his word on that this time. Hopefully she would see her out on the battlefield then. Yet for some reason...she had a terrible gut feeling that she wouldn't.

* * *

Just what...was Blake doing?

The red lights continued to flash, flickering Blake's room between perfect illumination and that annoying red glow repeatedly, making it impossible for her to read her book in peace.

Lambent was in danger.

Grimm were charging at them. Either too many for the laser defence system or ones too big for it to be effective. Either way, the students were expected to report for battle and if it looked serious enough even the Professors would have to chip in.

Yet Blake wanted no part of that.

Jaune...he was going to be out there.

If she went out there, she was going to have to link with him. It was what Weiss and Ruby expected.

Thinking of Ruby, she felt awful for brushing her off earlier today but right now she didn't know what to say to her. Until she got her thoughts straight...the only thing she could do was run. Run and hide away in her room. She hadn't even been able to bring herself to answer Weiss' calls. Not like it mattered. Weiss was a Schnee anyways. It was impossible for them to get along to begin with. After all, is she couldn't even get along with someone like Jaune how did she ever expect to get along with the girl of a family her organization had spent years terrorizing for their so called "justice"?

The truth was, the three of them would take care of it even if she didn't go out there. Let him add someone else to the link to replace her for all she cared. He clearly would do what he wanted anyways.

And whatever he did from now on, she wasn't going to have any part of it.

* * *

' _Jaune! You should get a look at this!'_ Ruby's concerned voice echoed inside of his head.

The bullhead being piloted by Penny raced across the sky as it chased after the Unfallen Cerberus and the Prime Evil. If they didn't hurry and cut off their path...and if the Prime Evil reached the Omega, then they were all done for. And he was the one at fault for all of this. If he just hadn't gone into that Valley of the Ancients he never would have gotten everyone else caught up in this whole mess.

"Penny, let me know if something changes." There wasn't any sign of the Cerberus yet but that could change at any second. He got up from his seat and walked out of the cockpit. Ruby and Sun were peeking over the edge of the ship, staring at the wasteland below.

He followed their gaze and grimaced as he realised Ruby's cause for concern almost immediately. The entire landscape beneath them was teeming with a throbbing mass of Grimm. Grimm that happened to all be running in a single direction. It went without saying that they were of course heading straight to Lambent.

"Do you think the Prime Evil is the one controlling them?" Neptune must have already looked at the armada beneath them and now just sat on the chair, his lips pressed into a thin line and clasping his hands together tightly.

"It has to be." Jaune pounded on the hull of the ship. He wanted to tell Penny to turn around and take the fight to these things. The only reason he didn't was because he knew if they did then that would leave the Cerberus free to attack as it pleased. They were going to have to leave the Grimm on the ground to the others. It was up to them to take care of the Prime Evil then.

"Heh, kind of reminds me of Razor Canyon. Looking at all these Grimm." Sun's tail twitched in anxiety and his hands unconsciously reached for his weapons.

"It's things like this Shirou was trying to prepare us for when he conducted that test…" Well, that and he had a few other agendas as well.

"Kind of hard to believe that guy might have meant something resembling good intentions when he put us through that." Sun apparently had enough of the bleak display beneath them and sat down next to his partner.

"Do we have a plan?" He turned to see Ruby looking at him, her grip on Crescent Rose tightening. He could feel her hatred for the Prime Evil flowing through the link. It was only natural that she hated it. Truthfully, he probably should also have felt incredible hatred for it. The very fact that a Grimm like that existed...it made everything they ever did completely irrelevant. For every Grimm anyone had ever killed, one of those things merely spit another one back out. Yet the only thing he could feel when he thought about it was fear. Fear of what it was capable of.

"I don't know. I'm not even sure we can kill that thing." He had watched it reform from almost nothing. The only part of it having been there before was that small black orb. Its heart, maybe? If he destroyed that then would it die?

"You're not mistaken." He gave a small start and whirled to see Charlotte standing just behind him. She was having way too much fun with the ability to appear wherever she wanted.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" He yelled aloud, causing Sun and Neptune to jump in surprise. That was right, they still couldn't perceive her. He must have looked crazy just talking to thin air. ' _What do you mean, anyway? So I can kill that thing by destroying that orb?'_ He continued talking through the mental link, too embarrassed to continue aloud.

"That is in fact the only way to kill the Prime Evil. However...destroying its heart is practically impossible." She gave a small pause. "Having said that, your Aurora should be capable of piercing it."

' _Aurora…'_ He looked down at the scars on his arm. Two stab wounds on either side caused by his own sword, Crocea Mors. Even now his Aura wasn't properly healing those. Was it because Aurora had used those wounds as an exit? It was the only thing that made sense.

' _Jaune, you can't!'_ Ruby stepped to his side and grabbed his sleeve. _'You've already lost so much blood! If you use Aurora again you will bleed out and die!'_

"If he doesn't use his Aurora there's no way you can kill the Prime Evil. Even if he can pierce its flesh he can't destroy the heart. None of you can."

' _He'll die!'_ Ruby's grip on his arm tightened even more and he flinched in pain.

"He might." Charlotte didn't deny it. "You know as well as he and I now though, if he doesn't kill the Prime Evil the Omega could likely be revived. If that happens, everyone will die."

' _How do you know we need to use Aurora to kill it when we haven't even tried something else?!'_

"I told you. The Prime Evils were common knowledge in my time. We...couldn't kill them. No matter how many times we beat them down or ripped them apart. Then I unlocked my Aurora and we managed to kill one."

' _Our technology has improved since your time! Don't just assume you have to sacrifice his life because it's what you would have done! Jaune is...Jaune is important to us!'_

' _Ruby. It's fine.'_ He pat her head and ruffled her hair. _'Charlotte...she's just offering advice the only way she knows how. The fact is, it's the only way either of us know how to live.'_

' _This is exactly why Blake won't talk to you! You just keep trying to throw away your life without any regard for how the rest of us feel!'_

' _...Yeah. You're right. It's because of the way I do things that we ended up in this situation to begin with. I promise you though, I won't use my Aurora until I have to. I won't let something as lame as self-inflicted blood loss be the way I die.'_

"That's right. The only time you need to use Aurora is the moment you expose the heart. So long as you don't lose any blood before that moment you should have enough to open the wound, kill the Prime Evil, and then seal it back shut. You may feel a little sick, but you shouldn't die."

Ruby's face contorted in a pout before she spun around, refusing to look at either of them. _'...You just promised. So you can't go and get killed out there today.'_

' _Of course. I'm not gonna die just yet.'_ He still had another five months of life to look forward to after all.

"Jaune." Penny's voice came over the bullhead's intercom. "The Grimm is in sight...and so is the tower."

"Sounds like it's game time." Sun jumped to his feet and began to roll his shoulders. "So what plan did you and the invisible person come up with?"

"Hmm…" Jaune poked his head outside the ship and had to squint his eyes due to the force of the wind. He could see the giant flying Grimm in the distance and just like Penny said, so was the tower. They were running out of time. "...Sun, Neptune. I need the two of you to come with me."

"Come with you, where exactly can we go?" Neptune gestured around the small compartment of the bullhead.

"We're going to jump on top of the Unfallen Cerberus and take the fight right to the Prime Evil."

"What?!"

"Come again?"

"Hey! Why wasn't I included?"

"I need you to stay here, Ruby. Using Arc Link I can keep an eye on the situation that's going on up here and you can let Penny know what is happening on our end." He turned to her and patted Crescent Rose. "Besides, I'm counting on you to cover me with this."

She held it a little more closely to her chest and gave a short nod. "Okay."

"Yeah, we need you guys to back up a step. What exactly do you mean by _jump on_ the Unfallen Cerberus?" Sun gestured dramatically outside the ship.

"Just what I said. The Prime Evil is on it so the only way to get close enough to actually fight it is to get there." It might have been more effective to have Penny bring down the giant flying Grimm first but he didn't want to risk grounding the Prime Evil only for it to have some way to burrow directly to The Omega. The further he kept them away from one another the better. Of course, he couldn't explain that aloud to Sun or Neptune. "Meanwhile, Penny is going to keep it busy so it can't destroy the tower with that massive Grimm nuke. Once we kill the Prime Evil and get clear, she can bring it down. You got that Penny?" He looked up at the intercom.

"Affirmative." He let out a small grin. This was possibly the worst situation they could be in. Still, he was glad Penny was here and with a huge upgrade no less. Nothing was more reassuring than having her with him. Well...maybe having Blake would be but he had burned that bridge already.

"Everyone clear on the plan then?" He was of course talking directly to Sun and Neptune. They both shared a sceptical look before giving long, drawn out sighs.

"We really got ourselves involved in one big fine mess, huh buddy?" Neptune held up an open palm towards his partner

"Ah well, it's not all bad." Sun slapped his hand before gripping it tightly. "We got the strongest couple on our side after all. Not to mention this prodigy here." He shoved Ruby's shoulder playfully. "Besides, we'll be heroes if we beat this thing."

Penny's bullhead was passing just over the Cerberus and it looked like the giant winged Grimm had stopped moving and now flew steadily in place. The three heads were hunched together, forming the same giant black orb it had used before. It was aiming to destroy the tower...and everything that stood between it and the Omega.

"Guess it's now or never." Time to fix his mistake.

He nodded to Sun and Neptune and they returned the gesture. The three of them leaned forward and jumped from the ship. Gravity overtook them as they plummeted towards the back of the Cerberus. As they fell, Sun and Neptune fired off a burst of their weapons. Blue Dust flew from Neptune's gun and yellow Dust from Sun's nunchucks. Just before reaching the back of the Cerberus they fused together and the volatile combination caused an explosion that staggered the massive Grimm, interrupting its attack in the process.

As the Grimm regained its balance, the three of them landed on its back. Neptune adjusted his goggles so they were over his eyes and Jaune had to admit, he could use a pair of those right now. The wind up here was crazy strong and if it wasn't for his Aura working to shield him he wouldn't be able to see at all, let alone maintain his balance.

The Cerberus gave a mighty roar but another round of explosions interrupted it as Penny's bullhead fired a barrage of green Dust right into its open jaws. It made a series of annoyed growls as it took off flying after her and away from the tower.

The three of them stumbled as the Grimm picked up speed but managed to maintain their footing. Standing ahead of them, just at the base of the middle neck was the very thing they had come here to defeat: The Prime Evil.

It had turned towards them, its face now looking right at them. No...that wasn't entirely correct. It couldn't see after all. A series of criss-crossing stitches covered the area where its eyes should have been. Yet it was undoubtedly perceiving them in some way. Even though it was three vs one, Jaune still didn't like their odds. There was something about this Grimm that was just plain creepy to even look at. In a way it reminded him of The Omega.

He unsheathed his sword and his shield deployed open as he took a step forward. Neptune's gun transformed into a trident and Sun connected his nunchucks together to create a bo staff as they kept pace with him.

The Grimm sniffed twice before giving a guttural scream from its broken mouth. He didn't even want to know how it was capable of making such a horrendous sounding noise without its jaw. The dangling tongue flailed from the force of the scream and began twisting as it elongated and spiralled around the Grimm as if it was a limb of its own.

"Well that's gross." Neptune's face contorted in disgust as they all stopped in their tracks. Jaune didn't know the Grimm was capable of that but now that he thought about it, it had used its tongue to transfer Grimm smoke to the Carrion so he shouldn't have been surprised.

Still, that didn't prepare him for what happened next as the flesh under the stitches began wiggling and contorting. With an audible pop, a terrifying red eye ripped one of the sutures right off. As if it set off a chain reaction, several more loud pops followed the first one instantaneously as ten eyes in total covered the top of the Grimm's head, making its face look more like an insect now than a monkey.

As if that wasn't enough already, the Grimm then grabbed the rail spike wedged into its ears and with a sickening squelch pulled it out with only a single yank. Black ooze dribbled out of either ear in gushes as it held the rail spike in front of itself defensively, almost like it was holding a dagger.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one seriously freaked out by this." Sun almost looked ready to hurl as the Grimm began to skulk slowly towards them.

"It-It's still three vs one." Almost as if reacting to his words, the black ooze leaking out of either ear began to contort and rise up, taking a shape of their own. The one to his left modelled itself in Neptune's image while the one to the right took Sun's, complete with their weapons and all.

"You were saying?" Neptune grumbled while being forced to stare down his shadowy, almost tar-like doppelgänger.

Well, there went the numbers advantage.

Sun and Neptune were going to have their hands full. That left this thing up to him...well, him and Ruby. He focused in on their link and forced their senses to reconnect to one another, allowing her to see through his eyes and him through her's.

She had fastened herself to Penny's ship as it corkscrewed and performed other aerial maneuvres in a bid to stay one step ahead of the Cerberus. Using the scope of Crescent Rose she was taking an eye on the situation below which had erupted into a battlefield as the students and teachers at Lambent rushed out to fight off the army of encroaching Grimm.

The Cerberus rocked violently as Dust missiles launched from Penny's bullhead struck it. The three of them stumbled forward and at that moment the shadowy doppelgängers of Sun and Neptune lunged forward. Jaune warped past the two of them and right up to the Prime Evil, leaving a trail of yellow rose petals in his place.

Behind him he heard audible cracks as Sun and Neptune's weapons made contact with the black versions wielded by the doppelgängers. He could see it as Ruby's attention whirled back to them. Sun and Neptune spun their weapons around with expert precision but as if their moves were being read, the doppelgängers counterattacked in perfect imitations of them.

Meanwhile he landed in a crouch just behind the Prime Evil. He spun on his heel and swung his sword around but one of the twitching, lidless eyes of the Grimm had already saw him and it raised the rail spike in defence. With a loud clang and a short spark their weapons clashed. Out of the corner of his eye and through Ruby's vision he saw the elongated tongue whip at him, just a blur now due to the velocity.

He raised his shield with just a second to spare and his arm jolted and bones locked as the tongue slapped it with the force of a charging bull. Quicker than he could react the tongue pulled back before it flipped around in a perfect circle to strike at him from the other side.

He wouldn't be able to get his shield around fast enough so he stepped back using Ruby's Semblance to put more space between himself and the Grimm. The whipping tongue lashed only at the yellow rose petals he left in his place.

He pointed his sword right in front of himself and lunged. Moving with impossible reflexes, the Grimm kept up with his enhanced speed and bent backwards, causing his sword to pass over it.

He stepped just behind it and from Ruby's vision he watched its arm snap and bend at an unnatural angle before jabbing at him with the rail spike. He pivoted and bashed at the strike with his shield, the force of both their blows knocking their arms upwards.

He slipped inside its guard and stabbed at it again but once more its arm bent into perfect position with an audible snap and their weapons crossed paths with a clang that was carried away by the wind. This thing was literally breaking its body and then healing itself to perform otherwise impossible feats to keep up with him.

He grit his teeth in irritation and ducked just as the tongue flew over him with such force it would have decapitated him without a doubt. He twirled his sword and slashed at the Prime Evil again just as it jabbed at him. He stepped to the side and dodged another lash of the tongue as their weapons traded blows again, neither one of them managing to break through the others guard.

Damn, this wasn't going how he had expected at all. He knew the Prime Evil was intelligent...but this was more like he was fighting against another Hunter rather than a Grimm. And frankly speaking he seriously doubted he had the skill to fight this thing off for very long. He was only keeping pace with this thing at all thanks to Ruby's Semblance and uncanny reflexes but sooner or later his luck was going to run out.

"Jaune! Incoming!" Charlotte's voice startled him so bad he almost didn't block the Prime Evil's latest jab in time. He knew what she was talking about only a second later as Sun's doppelgänger landed a strong kick on the real Sun and sent him flying right towards him on a collision course.

He stepped back just a fraction, just enough to dodge the tongue as it flung in front of his face. He then ducked down and held his shield over his head. Sun hit the shield with his back and in perfect sync rolled off it and leapt at the Prime Evil feet first, successfully landing a blow on its broken jaw and temporarily stunning its tongue. The drooling appendage fell limp to the ground.

The doppelgänger charged after them, swinging the pitch-black staff around its body as it leapt in the air. Jaune sprung up from his crouch and intercepted the staff with his shield. It felt like he got hit by a solid block of concrete yet the lookalike appeared to be made of wet tar more than anything solid.

He didn't have time to question the absurdity of it as the doppelgänger was staggered from the force of their exchange and he pressed the advantage by swinging his sword. Even though it only had one solid foot on the feathered surface it was still enough for the double to twist its body around and lash out in a powerful kick that caught Jaune in the forehead.

He stumbled to the side and by the time he regained his footing, the doppelgänger was already on him again, bringing the staff down over the top of his head. Before he could react, the back of Neptune's trident intercepted the blow, halting it just centimetres above him. The front of Neptune's Tridents was meanwhile locked in a fierce competition with his own doppelgänger.

Jaune and Neptune locked eyes for a split second and nodded to one another, immediately understanding their intentions even without a mental link. Neptune pulled his trident back and his doppelgänger stumbled forward. Jaune lunged at it and the two of them swapped opponents as his sword crossed paths with the shadowy trident while Neptune continued to hold off the black staff.

It twirled the trident around and it flung up at him from a low angle but Jaune easily deflected it to the side with his shield. Yet when he jabbed at the doppelgänger with his sword it had already maneuvered it back into a perfect defensive position.

"Switch out!" Sun called just as two yellow versions of him charged into the doppelgängers he and Neptune were fighting before dispersing in a golden wave that blinded them for a split second.

Jaune spun around and charged back at the Prime Evil while Sun and Neptune each leapt to face their doubles once again with a flurry of their weapons. Sun had managed to stagger the Prime Evil and knock it down to one knee. Its tongue was still flopped uselessly on the feathers around them.

Jaune raced forward and brought his arm in front of his face as he held his sword over his shoulder. He wouldn't give the Prime Evil a chance to recover. He was going to carve right into its chest and expose its heart. Once he did that he only had to let the Aurora out to do take care of the rest. He just hoped it was efficient about it and didn't try to be unnecessarily brutal. He didn't have enough blood left to lose for it to take its time.

He closed the remaining distance and brought his sword arm down...just as he felt something wet wrap around his ankle. The tongue...the Prime Evil had placed the end of it right by its body and bid its time for him to step up to it! Jaune swung faster, hoping to make it in time. He never even got close as the tongue yanked him off his feet and his vision spiralled out of control. It was a weird feeling, watching himself get tossed around through Ruby's eyes while feeling it with his own body as it slammed him on the back of the Cerberus before lifting him again to smash him down in a different spot.

Somehow through the whole ordeal he managed to keep his hand on Crocea Mors. Ruby pulled the trigger on Crescent Rose and not even a second later and the Grimm's tongue ripped in half. Jaune collapsed to the ground in a heap. For just a second he considered lying there and just playing dead.

"This is no time for rest, Jaune." Charlotte chided lightly, having materialised in a crouch right next to him.

"Yeah, yeah." Of course he knew that. He stumbled to his feet and readied himself for the next round. The Prime Evil was looking at him, already pointing the rail spike straight his way. He readied himself to lunge forward with Ruby's Semblance again but a sickening squelch reached his ears before he could take off.

What...was that?

Had one of the doppelgängers gotten to him? No, he could still see them fighting, being held off by Sun and Neptune. Wait a second...the rail spike. It was still in the Prime Evil's hand but it was different now. It looked way longer. In fact, it went right up to him and was…

He tilted his head down and saw the rail spike had pierced him right in the shoulder.

He was bleeding.

' _Jaune!'_ Ruby and Charlotte's voices overlapped inside his head with equal alarm.

He had to react fast. Now that he was bleeding he only had so long before he wouldn't even be able to so much as stand up straight, let alone fight. He already felt his own vision blur slightly out of focus.

This was also his chance though. He hadn't seen it happen but the rail spike had lengthened and was now stuck inside of him. That meant the Prime Evil couldn't use it to block. Its tongue was still turning into smoke and hadn't reformed yet so it had lost its only other means of defence too.

In other words it was wide open.

Jaune activated Ruby's Semblance and lunged forward, choosing to just to drag his shoulder through the rail spike. It hurt like a bitch but so long as he didn't pull it out he wouldn't lose heaps of blood. His shield arm was hanging useless right now anyways. He appeared in front of the Prime Evil and swung his sword...only for it to block using the shortened rail spike.

What!?

He didn't even have to look down at his shoulder to know that the rail spike was indeed gone. The wound was freely bleeding now. That meant the rate at which the rail spike could elongate and retract...it was instantaneous, faster even than Ruby's Semblance.

"Jaune! Seal the wound!" He already was. His Aura quickly patched up the outside skin, keeping him from bleeding externally anymore. The damage was already done though. The Prime Evil appeared to split into three in front of him as his vision phased in and out. He stumbled around with every twist the Cerberus gave, barely able to maintain balance anymore as his breath became ragged and laboured.

This wasn't good. He was supposed to avoid this at all costs. Now that he had lost more blood...would he even be able to use his Aurora again? He might really exsanguinate and die if he tried.

He stumbled forward and right into the swinging fist of the Prime Evil. It clocked him on the jaw and sent him flying backwards. He crashed onto the back of the Cerberus and his vision went white.

"Jaune!" Sun and Neptune's voices were far away. Even though his own eyes no longer worked he could still see through Ruby's. Sun spun around in an attempt to run to his aide but took a blow to the head from his doppelgänger. He collapsed face first and Neptune stepped in to protect him but was pushed back immediately as the two doppelgängers together overwhelmed him.

Ruby's vision lurched as Penny's ship was sent spiralling out of control after the Cerberus rammed it. Seconds later Penny somehow must have regained control as Ruby's vision righted but they were much closer to the surface now as the Cerberus flew down after them. The students were still holding back the Grimm but there was just so many of them. If something didn't change soon it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.

"Damn…" He clenched his teeth together so hard it felt like they might chip. Willing all of his Aura that he could to life he restored his vision and used it to fuel his muscles. He couldn't let things end like this, not yet. Even if he was low on blood he still had plenty of Aura. That had to count for something. All he needed was one second. If he could just get to his feet and lunge at the Prime Evil before it could react he could win.

He hefted his body up and stumbled to his knees. He could do this, he had to do this. The Prime Evil let out one of its terrifying screeches and Jaune's shield arm jolted to the side. By sheer dumb luck the rail spike had bounced off his shield when it extended at him. Before Jaune could blink it was short again before the Prime Evil adjusted the angle just a fragment.

The spike shortened and lengthened faster than Jaune's eye could see yet through sheer luck he managed to block it yet again. This was his chance! Now that the spike was long he could just-

 _Squelch._

The rail spike pierced him in the gut and shot out his back.

Since when did it have the time to do that? He hadn't even seen it shorten this time let alone had the chance to block when it lengthened.

He gave a ragged cough and blood sprayed out his mouth. It appeared to fly out in slow motion and he watched as the red droplets rippled and twisted as they flew through the air. He widened his stance to keep from falling over as the spike shrunk out of him. Thanks to his distorted vision he finally caught what was happening. The spike...it was turning into Grimm smoke for a split half-second before restructuring itself into a new length.

Just because he knew what was happening though didn't mean he knew how to stop it nor did it make him quick enough to block it. That much was obvious even before the spike drilled right through his calf next. Blood sprayed from the wound and he nearly collapsed. It was over. He couldn't counterattack. He could barely even move. His sword and shield were heavy in his arms and the edge of his vision was fading to black.

Off to the corner of his eye he saw Neptune collapse down to one knee. His trident was knocked to the side by the shadowy staff before his shoulder was pierced by the black trident. Neptune screamed in pain but Jaune couldn't even hear it.

Sun was still laying face down, blood oozing out of the top of his head. They couldn't help him nor he them. At least, that was what he thought until Sun's head gave a small jerk. He lifted his face into the air. Blood trailed down his face and the Faunus had to keep one eye closed as the red liquid washed over it. He couldn't have had much strength left at all but still managed to lift his hands to clap them together...like he always did when activating his Semblance.

Two golden versions of Sun sprung forward and charged right at the Prime Evil. Its lidless eyes immediately saw the threat and it turned the rail spike towards them. The second it was off of him, Jaune didn't even hesitate.

He gave a scream so loud even his deafening ears were able to hear it as Ruby's Semblance activated with a loud hum. He warped right to the Prime Evil, swinging his sword in an upwards slash. Black blood sprayed in the air and scattered in every direction as he lopped the arm holding the spike off at the elbow.

It screeched in pain and anger as its other arm reached forward to grab the dismembered one. Without any remorse, Jaune sliced that one off too. It stumbled backwards and was nearly flung off from the Cerberus as it banked hard to the left. With neither arm to support itself it was a miracle it managed to regain its balance at all. Regardless, Jaune didn't let up because it was defenceless. It wouldn't have given him the same concern.

There was no fear in its eyes as his sword swung into its chest and cleaved it straight open. There was only anger and hatred. The only two emotions this thing was probably capable of feeling. More black blood sprayed in the air and was carried away by the wind as a small sliver of the orb was exposed.

The moment he recognised its heart, the Aurora ripped his wound open and shimmered out in waves of red, green, and purple. His vision distorted further as he lost more blood. He only had a couple seconds left at best. He had to make this count.

The Aurora contorted and hardened into razor sharp spears that jabbed into the exposed torso of the Prime Evil. It screeched and screamed but without either arm it was unable to do anything as the spears shredded flesh and ripped its torso wider open in a bid to destroy the heart.

The black orb cracked but didn't shatter.

He had to hurry and break it.

The outskirts of his vision was already fading and he could no longer feel his limbs. Meanwhile, his head felt heavy and he could feel a pulse in his ears. His Aurora jabbed at that black orb again but still it didn't break.

Why? Why wouldn't this thing break!?

His Aurora changed shape into a mouth that bit down with all its effort but still the orb held strong, only splitting a little further.

It couldn't do it. It couldn't break it in time. He felt the glow of Aurora weaken as his pulse slowed to a crawl. He was about to bleed out and couldn't supply the Aurora any further. He had failed to kill the Prime Evil.

Off to the side he heard a gunshot.

A bullet from Crescent Rose struck the tip of his Aurora beast and gave it the push it needed to completely pierce the orb. With an ear piercing whistle the orb split apart before shattering into dozens of pieces, releasing a torrent of black energy that knocked Jaune off his feet. Crocea Mors flew from his grip and tumbled off the back of the Cerberus. Behind him he could barely make out the forms of the doppelgängers as they collapsed into bubbling puddles.

The black energy raced skywards and the whole body of the Prime Evil dissolved as if the energy was sucking its flesh away. The whole time it continued to screech in agony as if it was cursing all of humanity with every fibre of its dying being. Finally, the black energy trickled out of existence...and the Prime Evil died.

Somehow they had managed to kill it. Still, he was going to have to leave the rest up the others.

His eyes felt really heavy right now.

* * *

' _Jaune! Jaune!'_ Ruby screamed his name over and over into the mental link but it was no good. He was losing consciousness. Penny's ship banked hard and she was roughly juggled around in her seat. The Cerberus tilted in a bid to keep up with it but in the process it threw Jaune right off the back.

Ruby didn't even hesitate. The moment she saw him fall she unclipped her seatbelt and allowed gravity to overtake her as she plummet after her leader. "Jaune's pretty lucky to have you for a teammate." Off to the corner of her eye she saw Charlotte who was falling right along with her. "I don't have more than a couple seconds. Jaune needs a blood transfusion, quick. Even once he gets one I can't guarantee he'll pull through. If he does though...please don't tell anyone about what you saw in his memories. Jaune _needs_ to come clean of those things himself or it'll all be meaningless."

Ruby's lips pressed into a thin line but she nodded. It was all these secrets of his that had caused so much trouble in the first place. Ruby hated secrets. If Jaune really intended to come clean when he woke up though then she supposed she could wait that long. He just better live long enough to do that.

"Thank you, Ruby." Charlotte was fading away and Ruby could tell her link to Jaune was being cut off too. That meant he must have lost consciousness. Or worse...no, she wouldn't even entertain that thought. He had promised!

She closed the distance between the two of them and spun her body around before wrapping her arms and legs around him. His blonde hair billowed in the wind and his eyes were closed tight as they fell towards the earth together. She pressed her ear to his chest. It was weak...but she could hear a faint heartbeat. He was alive, for now. She held the shaft of Crescent Rose to his back with the barrel pointed down.

Just before they reached the surface she pulled the trigger and let out a couple bullets to slow their descent. The bullets drilled into the heads of Grimm beneath them and they collapsed on top of their corpses. In a heap of limbs, Jaune and Ruby rolled off the Grimm and onto the hard rock surface. In the process Crescent Rose was knocked from her hand and clattered to the ground a metre away. She struggled after it but Jaune's unconscious form had pinned her beneath him and she couldn't throw him off fast enough as an Ursa Major stepped between her and her weapon.

All around them she could hear Grimm roaring. They had fallen right into the middle of their horde and she didn't have any way to defend them without being able to get to Crescent Rose.

The Ursa stepped towards them and raised one of its massive paws when a series of yellow bullets assaulted it from above. It collapsed backwards to the ground and not a moment later Sun and Neptune landed nimbly on either side of her. "You dead yet, Zippy?" Sun twirled his staff and beat back any Grimm that stepped too close. His face was covered in blood but it looked like his Aura had already healed the wound

"Not yet." Ruby finally managed to free herself from under Jaune and grabbed her precious weapon. With a simple twirl she beheaded three Grimm. Neptune stood just on the other side of Jaune and held off Grimm from that end. "Jaune needs a blood transfusion soon though-"

"Worry about ourselves first." Neptune was gasping desperately for breath and Ruby could see one of his arms dangle uselessly at his side. Both of them had taken some serious beatings from those doppelgängers and she had been tossed around plenty today herself. Needless to say they were all about running on empty.

Ruby bit her bottom lip as she spun Crescent Rose. With each twirl another Grimm met its end but for each one she dropped another two took its place, pushing her farther back and allowing them to get closer to Jaune. Neptune and Sun weren't faring any better and in only a minute the three of them were practically back to back, only their unconscious friend separating them.

Just when it looked like they couldn't hold out any longer a streak of fire seared an entire line of Grimm directly in front of Ruby. Before she could even wonder what happened, Weiss and Yang landed directly in front of her, Yang holding up her fists defensively while Weiss beat back the Grimm with another burst of flames.

"Weiss! Yang!" Ruby nearly collapsed as relief settled over her.

"Don't you give me that right now!" The two of them shouted in perfect sync.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" Weiss continued first as she spun on her. All the Grimm in the immediate vicinity having already been dealt with thanks to their combined rage.

She didn't even get a moment's respite before Yang continued right where Weiss left off. "How could you just go running off like that? I would've come with you if you had just let me know!"

"Man, I think I'd prefer the Grimm." Sun grumbled quietly to his partner.

"And you two!" Not quite quiet enough as Yang stalked up to them, cracking her knuckles.

They both immediately straightened out as Neptune attempted to stutter out an excuse. "W-we were just trying to keep her safe for you!"

Weiss flicked her hair as she pointed Myrtenaster at them threateningly. "You could have called one of us while running after her. Better yet, you could have just kept these two idiots from running off at all."

"I hate to interrupt but it would appear that Jaune is in need of serious medical attention." Shirou appeared next to them before crouching down and checking his pulse.

"He needs blood! He's nearly bled out!" Ruby hurriedly filled him in.

"Hmm." Shirou nodded as turned to Sun and Neptune. "Take him with you towards the tower. Miss Yen is there. She should be able to patch him up temporarily enough until we can get him to the infirmary. The rest of us shall cover your retreat." He stood up to his full height as readied his katana.

Ruby had to admit, as much as she disliked this man, there was nothing more reassuring than having him by your side when surrounded by Grimm. Sun and Neptune immediately complied, happy to be getting away from both the Grimm and the two angry women about equally.

A bright green flash above them caught all their attention and they craned their necks to see the Cerberus careening towards the ground, having been shot down by Penny's bullhead. It collapsed to the ground in the middle of the Grimm horde, undoubtedly killing several dozen in the process and creating a minor earthquake from the force.

She heard cheers of encouragement from the other students scattered throughout as they rallied with renewed vigour and began to slaughter the Grimm that had begun to fall apart without the control of the Prime Evil. Shirou gave her a backwards glance before he continued further into the warzone. Weiss and Yang stayed by her side. She gave a soft smile as she leaned against Crescent Rose for support.

It looked like this long day was finally wrapping up. Jaune was injured but it looked like he would somehow pull through. The question was...what now? She turned to Weiss but right now neither her nor Yang were looking at her as they glanced around for any Grimm that might have gotten too close. It was getting harder to see far in front of them due to the vast amount of Grimm smoke pouring out of the corpses so they had to go by sound rather than eyesight.

Unsurprisingly she didn't see Blake out here. Did Weiss even know yet about that fight? Even if not she must have suspected. Still, Charlotte's last request once more resounded in her mind. Weiss had a right to know what was happening to their team. Ruby wanted to tell her so badly. The only reason she didn't do that right this moment was because deep down she knew it was Jaune's place and not her's. However, if he needed a little help doing that when he woke up she would just have to give him some support.

For now though, she just wanted to get some rest.

* * *

 **AN:** And so draws to a close the Valley of the Ancients Arc.

Weiss is almost completely in the dark. Blake still won't talk to any of them. Jaune is unconscious and nearly dead. That just kind of leaves Ruby to try and hold together the pieces of their breaking team until they can sort this whole thing out.

I've always kind of wanted to see a scene where Jaune, Sun, and Neptune fight together side-by-side so I finally got the chance to make that happen this chapter! Bro power! (with some adorable sniper backup by Ruby of course) I didn't just include them this arc for comic relief like they pretty much were up to this point...

The ability of the Prime Evil's spike was based off of Ichimaru Gin's Bankai from Bleach. Otherwise, I just kind of tried to make it as creepy as possible, what with the eyes and stretching tongue. That and it actually had to feel like a threat...since you know, this is one of things that creates all other Grimm. Couldn't have it drop without a fight. Ruby technically is the one that put the final nail in the coffin when she fired that shot.

Next time we may finally have Jaune and Blake come face to face again. It's been a while after all.


	7. Final

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

 **Auburn**

 _Truth_

* * *

"Finally starting to wake up?" Jaune's eyes weren't even open yet, but that didn't stop Charlotte from somehow knowing that he was regaining consciousness.

He had been under the impression she would only materialise if he called for her but apparently their connection was strong enough now for her to maintain form even when he was about to die of blood loss.

That is...was he still dying from blood loss? How long had he even been out that she would use the word "finally"?

"I actually don't know how much time has passed either." There she went reading his mind again, or his memories, or however it was she did that. "I only came around a second ago myself. It would appear I am tied rather closely to your mental condition. That's rather troublesome. Although maybe I shouldn't complain. I've died once already after all. I never imagined I would ever wake up to see this world after that."

"You're awfully talkative." His voice was sore and it strained his throat just to utter those words. Still, it needed to be said. He supposed he couldn't blame her for being so mouthy though. She didn't exactly have anyone else to talk to.

"Excuse me?" Uh oh.

That hadn't been Charlotte's voice that responded that time. Rather...it sounded like an irritated Weiss. His eyes shot open to see the Heiress seated on a chair just next to him. Predictably, he was on an infirmary bed. Charlotte was standing just in front of him at the foot of the bed, glancing around in wonder at all the technology she had never seen before.

"...Sorry." Jaune offered Weiss a quiet apology as he attempted to set himself upright. His muscles were sore and several bones made audible cracks from the movement. "I wasn't talking to you."

Weiss quirked an eyebrow as her scowl deepened. "Then _who_ were you talking to?" She gestured around to what appeared to her to be an otherwise empty room. After all, she couldn't perceive Charlotte unless he linked to her.

Jaune gave a small smirk, unable to resist the urge to poke fun at her. "Aren't you supposed to be happy to see me finally awake?"

Weiss flicked her ponytail. "Hmph, as if. You've caused a lot of trouble for me this past week. I hope you know that."

"...Week?" Had he really been out for a full week?

"It's been eight days since you dragged the rest of us into that war zone." She clarified with a pointed stare. Man...she was really upset, had the fight been that close? He hoped there hadn't been any casualties because of his mess up. "Eight days I've had to wait to find out what is going on with our team because Ruby won't tell me anything! 'Just wait for Jaune to wake up' she keeps repeating. Meanwhile, Blake won't even so much as talk to me." Ah. Now he got it.

Things hadn't improved for the team since he went under. That made sense, he was the cause of all this discord after all. He was probably the only one able to fix it too. Ruby might have been able to but had she kept her word and waited for him to wake up to see what he would do. He was truly grateful for that...he owed Ruby so much right now he wasn't sure he would ever be able to repay her.

Still, some things came first. Such as assessing the full situation. "What happened after I passed out?" Weiss' face contorted in frustration for just a second before giving way to defeated exasperation.

"No one died if that's what you're asking." That was a relief. "After the five of you killed...whatever kind of Grimm that was, you fell off the Cerberus. Ruby caught you and was defending you with Sun and Neptune when we arrived. Penny then brought that giant winged beast down and things more or less wrapped up pretty quickly from there. The Grimm that had once been organised and relentless began to fall apart. Professor Yen gave you a blood transfusion on the field. Fortunately for you, Sun has the same blood type. Since then, Penny, Ruby, and myself have been rotating shifts to keep watch on you."

Jaune gripped his elbow. Sun had lost blood too during that whole fight...yet he still shared some with him. One more person he had to thank, along with Neptune and Penny. But there was one person Weiss hadn't mentioned yet. "...Blake?"

Weiss made a complicated expression. "She never even came out to fight." Her face then twisted in anger, as if just thinking about it made her mad. "I don't know what happened between the two of you, but frankly speaking her behaviour has been inexcusable! She won't talk to us, hasn't come to see you once, and-"

"Please don't be so mad at her-" Jaune cut her off. She snapped her mouth shut but he could still see the rage burning in her eyes. "-You have every right to be, Weiss. At all of us. The truth is though, I'm the one that has been leaving you guys out of the loop and that's what's caused this whole chain of events."

"That may be so, but running away from the rest of us like she's doing isn't fixing this." She was right of course. It was entirely possible Blake didn't even want to try and fix this anymore. He had isolated her the same way Adam had once done and Blake was handling that the only way she truly knew how. "Now I've told you what is going on, it's your turn."

He glanced at Charlotte out of the corner of his eye to see her nod. Of course this was coming eventually, he just wished it hadn't been right after he woke up. Blake was going to be upset to know she was the last to find out too. "There is one more thing I need you to do for me before that." Weiss narrowed her eyes but gave a silent nod for him to continue "Blake won't come see me on her own. So I need you to pass on a message to Penny for me. She'll know what to do from there." At least he hoped so.

"Fine, fine." Weiss threw her hands in the air. "Now can you tell me what has been going on?"

"I can't tell you anything, Weiss."

Her mouth twisted in a snarl but it almost immediately vanished as he held out his hand. Gingerly, she reached forward and took it. A golden glow connected them for a second as he activated Arc Link.

' _However, I can show you.'_

* * *

Blake drummed her fingers idly against the bleachers as she waited for combat practice to finally be over.

She just wanted to read her books in peace, was that too much to ask? Apparently so, because Professor Yen didn't tolerate it one bit and demanded that she pay attention to the fights instead. It wasn't like it mattered. Blake was never going to have to seriously fight one of these students so why did she have to learn how they fought?

Regardless, she didn't want her books confiscated, it cost valuable GKP to get them and her budget was becoming more tight since she started hunting Grimm by herself. Without having a team she wasn't able to wander very far from the tower and instead usually lured Grimm into the laser system to farm points that way. It wasn't very efficient but it kept her alive and fed.

Sun shuffled nervously next to her but wisely kept from saying anything. He had been adamant about convincing her to see Jaune for the first few days but had finally relented and instead just settled to giving awkward glances as he tried and failed to come up with some way to convince her.

Finally, the spar in the arena came to an end just as the murmuring of the crowd around her spiked to an unusual high. Blake's bow twitched as she tried to understand their sudden excitement. Even if she had barely been paying attention to the fight she had been aware enough to know nothing unusual had taken place.

She considered turning to Sun for a brief second to inquire about what had happened but her unasked question was almost immediately answered as someone stopped just in front of her. She looked up to see Penny standing over her, an uncharacteristically serious look in her eyes and hands placed on hips.

Penny being here shouldn't have been unusual. However, lately she skipped this class in order to watch Jaune in place of Ruby and Weiss as per some agreement Blake didn't bother to understand. So the fact that was she here now meant something changed.

"What?" Blake returned the gaze with a neutral one of her own. Didn't this girl have something better to do, like keeping an eye on Jaune for example?

"Jaune is awake." Penny stated matter-of-factly.

"What!?" Sun sprung to his feet and the crowd's volume went up an extra notch.

Blake shared none of their enthusiasm. "So?"

"He wants to talk to you." That was funny. He sure hadn't wanted to talk the last time she had seen him.

"He should have thought of that before he tried to kill himself again."

"You will not go see him no matter what?"

"I won't."

"..." Penny stared at her for another several moments but Blake didn't shirk in the slightest. Finally, the other girl broke eye contact and instead looked towards their Professor. "Aunty Yen! I wish to spar with Blake today."

Blake narrowed her eyes. What was this girl thinking? Did she think if they punched it out they could work out all their differences or something ridiculous like that? This wasn't some children's fantasy novel.

"Very well then." To Blake's chagrin, Yen's amplified voice agreed just like that. "Penny of Atlas and Blake Belladonna of Vale will report to the stage for unrestricted combat practice." She didn't have to put up with this. If she didn't want to fight Penny she could just leave...and get docked a percentage of her GKP. She didn't make enough to take that kind of hit. So with great reluctance she got to her feet.

"Fine." The word came out almost as a sigh of resignation. "If you want to fight me so badly then I'll go along with it. If you think it'll somehow convince me to talk to Jaune then you're sorely mistaken."

"I propose a wager." As usual, Penny had no sense of the flow of conversation. "If I beat you without losing any Aura, then you go see Jaune."

Blake snorted. "You may underestimate the rest of us because the only one you ever have to spar against is him, but I won't be ejected from the ring in one shot that easily."

"So then you accept?" This frickin girl…

"That's not what I said."

"If you win, I will grant any favour you want." As if this girl knew anything about what she wanted. "I can even fly you away from Lambent. I have my own personal bullhead after all."

"..." Blake stopped hard and finally whirled on Penny. What exactly was she offering? A way to get out of here just like that? Return her to civilization scot free? "Why...would you think I want that?"

"It is obvious that you do not wish to be here anymore." Penny stated bluntly. "If you want out so badly I would be happy to personally see that happen. Jaune has no need for a partner that does not care for him nor has any interest in continuing on the path she started. If you do not wish to be a Huntress than I will help you quit."

"I never said anything about quitting my career as a Huntress." She practically hissed.

"Really?" Penny tilted her head in what seemed like genuine surprise. "Your actions say differently. Huntresses help others. This past week you have only helped yourself and during that Code Red you hid in your room and waited for it to end."

Blake had heard enough. On enraged instinct alone she grabbed the handle of Gambol Shroud. This girl kept talking like she knew exactly what was going through her head when she didn't have even the slightest clue.

"Easy there, ladies." Yen placed herself in between the two of them, the mechanical arms from her backpack hoisting her to their eye level. "Might I ask that we continue this inside the ring?"

"That is fine with me." Penny shrugged uncaringly and hopped into the ring. Blake's hands were clenched so tightly together her knuckles were turning white.

Why? Why was it that everything this girl said made her so angry? She was always in check of her emotions...almost always. It had been easier since she quit talking to Jaune, since she quit talking to any of them. She never said anything unnecessary and nothing any of them said in an effort to get her to chat got under her skin. At least not until now. In just one conversation Penny had made her so angry she was seeing red.

"Are you going to stand there and glare at her all day, or are you going to try and prove Penny wrong, Miss Belladonna?" Yen was giving her one of those annoying knowing smirks.

"...I have nothing to prove." Blake retorted coldly as she walked past the short fox Faunus. She just had to calm down. Take deep breaths and think rationally. The fact that she was angry wasn't from something as ridiculous as Penny being right. Because she wasn't. And Blake didn't need to beat her in a fight to show that.

"Don't you?" She ignored Yen's taunting call and stepped into the ring before taking her place opposite of Penny.

"Let's just get this over with." She pulled Gambol Shroud out and readied it in front of herself. Yen had said unrestricted combat which meant none of the usual handicaps placed on them applied. She was free to go all out, however that meant Penny was too.

"Since this is a special match, I guess it's an appropriate time for me to use this." Yen stayed outside of the ring instead of in it as usual as she tapped at her Scroll. The edges of the arena hissed open as a clear, glasslike plate began to rise up from it. The glass bent inwards to entrap the two of them in a dome.

"You cannot run away in here." Penny's backpack opened and ten folded swords flew out and formed a ring behind her. Blake merely bristled, unable to believe she could've gotten even angrier than what she already was.

She would end this fast and then go back to her book.

"Let the match between Penny of Atlas and Blake Belladonna of Vale...begin."

Blake didn't so much as hesitate. The moment the last syllable had left Yen's mouth she already had the katana of Gambol Shroud unsheathed. That katana shifted into a gun and she unleashed a spray of bullets that Penny couldn't possibly dodge.

The problem with that was, Penny didn't even try to dodge. In fact, her body barely moved at all. The only part of her that so much as twitched were her fingers as the swords sprung to life, each of them swinging with perfect precision to block the Dust bullets. She made the whole thing seem effortless, like it wasn't some impossible feat despite the fact that no one else their age could have possibly pulled off the exact same stunt.

"I take it this means you have accepted my bet?" And in the middle of it she even found time to talk.

Gambol Shroud mecha-shifted once more back into a katana. "I never agreed to anything." She vanished in a blur, leaving behind a clone.

"Is that so?" Blake appeared right behind Penny, swinging the cleaver-sheath part of her weapon. Predictably, Penny had seen through the feint and one of her swords was there to intercept. They met with a loud clang. "If that is the case than you are trying unnecessarily hard to drop my Aura for someone that has no interest in even fighting."

"Just shut up!" Blake barely dodged two more of Penny's swords as they fired at her like rockets. She vanished again and appeared above Penny's head. The katana down but yet another sword was in her path. As the others twirled and aimed at her, she left another clone behind.

Blake skid to a stop just left of Penny. This wasn't getting her anywhere. If melee attacks wouldn't work and neither were bullets she was just going to have to try something else. With a small heave, Blake whipped her katana right at Penny's head, the ribbon attaching her weapons unwinding as it whirled through the air.

For the first time since the fight started, Penny tilted her whole body. It was only the smallest of degrees but she bent out of the way to dodge the katana and allowed it to fly by. Two more of her swords turned systematically towards Blake and zeroed in on where she was standing. This time the Faunus-girl didn't attempt to dodge and deflected both swords to the side with her cleaver.

As Blake did that she pulled the remote trigger on her end of Gambol Shroud and the katana mecha-shifted back into its pistol form. It fired and flew at Penny from behind. There should have been no way she could see it coming. Yet as if she had eyes in the back of her head, more swords protected her and intercepted the flying pistol. It ricocheted off with a spark and Blake pulled the trigger again.

She twirled the elongated ribbon and with the momentum created by the pistols discharge. Gambol Shroud turned into a tornado of carnage. Normally when she used this move she sliced anything that got too close to ribbons.

As she was coming to learn though, Penny's defence was nearly impenetrable as the swords around her continued to deflecting the swirling blade. Meanwhile, Blake was barely maintaining ground as two of the swords batted at her as if being wielded by an invisible warrior.

This was an exchange she would inevitably lose. Penny knew this and she knew this. Even so...Blake didn't want to lose. Why? Why did it even matter? These fights didn't effect anything like GKP or your status. They were simply about self-betterment. A way to hone your skills without the risk of a violent death by Grimm.

The fact that Blake didn't want to lose...meant what Penny said really had struck a chord. Of course it had. She knew what she was doing was nothing more than running away. That was the only thing she ever did, it was why she had this Semblance of hers.

She wanted to talk to Jaune too. She wanted this rift between them to be fixed more than anything. But what good would talking to him again do? So what if they made up and settled their differences? In the end they would just have another fight. And then she would be left feeling this all over again. Instead of setting herself up for failure, it was just better to cut her losses while she was ahead. If she didn't talk to Jaune he couldn't hurt her.

Even she knew how weak and pathetic that sounded in her own head. But even knowing that, she had her dignity. And that dignity wouldn't allow her to show that weakness to others. Especially if it meant losing to Penny in a match after being called out in front of everyone.

Penny's swords swung at her again. This time she lunged forward, swapping out her location with a clone that took the hit for her and abandoning the sheath for Gambol Shroud. It was fine though, she wouldn't need it for what she was about to do.

Penny's eyes widened the smallest of fractions at her unusual tactic but it was too late to react. The pistol end of Gambol Shroud was still swinging in an arc. As it passed between the two of them, Blake grabbed it and switched it once more into a katana without breaking stride.

Penny's swords had been poised to block the strike while it was continuing its previous arc. But even they weren't quick enough to adjust in time as Blake swung the katana. Penny raised her arms and the blade struck her beneath the elbow. A loud chink followed by a spray of sparks burst from the contact.

It was only when Blake finished running past and skid to a stop did that fact really process in her brain. Was Penny's arm...artificial? Slowly, Blake turned back around and towards the other girl. Penny was standing lackadaisically, examining the wound Blake had inflicted with interest. Her clothes at the elbow was torn and beneath it was without a doubt some kind of metallic alloy. The pigment around the gash was a perfect replica of skin, but where Blake had hit was a silver streak.

"I take your surprise as proof that Jaune did not tell you." Penny lowered the arm and turned her green eyes towards Blake. Normally the faunus girl had no trouble placing the emotions flowing through another's face, but Penny's was impossible to read at the moment.

"...Jaune certainly has developed a knack for keeping secrets. If you hadn't wished to tell anyone about your arm, it makes sense that he wouldn't say anything." After all, it wasn't like that was the biggest secret he kept.

"It is not just my arm. I am in fact one hundred percent artificial." She said this in such a matter-of-fact tone, Blake thought she had misheard it for a second. It was more like she had just stated the condition of the weather, then what she had just actually said.

"You're...what?" Blake was so floundered by this blunt confession she quite literally had no words.

"I am an artificial human being with a fabricated Aura. Nothing about myself is real." Penny reiterated but Blake's mind still wasn't properly comprehending. Suddenly, Penny's earlier statement held far more meaning.

"Jaune...knew about this?"

Penny gave a short nod. "He did. Aunty Yen and Shirou Schnee are the only others at the facility that know this truth. I asked Jaune to keep this secret for me and he did so without hesitation, even going as far to claim that he would do it for no other reason than I am his friend."

That certainly sounded like him.

"This is why-" Penny continued much more seriously. "-I _will_ take you to see Jaune. It hurts me to admit, but to him you are his absolute best friend. Even so, I am also his friend and will help him in any way that I can."

Blake grit her teeth and averted her eyes towards the space between their feet. "You're...naive." She muttered this under her breath.

"Naive? This is true. I am naive of many things. Social norms and sarcasm for instance continue to escape me."

"That's not what I'm saying!" Blake stomped her foot. "You claim that friendship is the only reason you're helping Jaune. But is that really the case? Isn't it just because you owe him for keeping your secret? And in the end, isn't that all Jaune was really doing? Keeping your secret because he knew you would be obligated to help him later."

"..."

"...I wonder if you truly believe something so cynical? Or are you only saying that because Jaune hurt you?"

Blake scowled. "I've heard enough! I won your bet and inflicted damage on your Aura. The only thing I want is for you to leave me alone."

Penny placed a finger on her chin and glanced upwards. "I do not recall you ever agreeing to the bet."

Blake had to fight the urge to hiss. Instead she turned around and walked right up to the dome. "Professor. Let me out of here."

Yen merely stared at her as if she had grown a second head. "I don't believe you've fulfilled any of the conditions for a win, Miss Belladonna. Both of you are still capable of combat and neither of your Aura has fallen anywhere near the red."

Great, just great. She was stuck in here until one of them couldn't fight anymore? It would've been better for her to just take the hit on GKP. So what if she would've had to fight a few more Grimm? That was preferable to this unusual torment.

She spun around to accept her fate only to realise her mistake too late. She had been too preoccupied with Yen to notice that Penny had closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Blake didn't even have a chance to activate her Semblance as Penny's fist drilled into her ribcage and smashed her back into the dome.

There was an audible crack as something undoubtedly broke, and Blake collapsed to the floor in a heap. She gave ragged cough, spitting blood and clutching her stomach. Just applying even a small amount of pressure to her ribcage caused it to ignite in pain.

Just what the Hell was that all about? Penny certainly sucked at holding back but that sure seemed awfully intentional to her.

"Aunty Yen!" Penny raised her hands as if to be called on in class.

"What is it, Penny?" As if she didn't already know.

"I appear to have accidentally-" Hiccup. "-broken Blake's ribs. She should be taken to the infirmary immediately." This bitch...

"Hmm, it would appear you are quite right, Penny. Since you are the one that broke her ribs, it is only appropriate that you are the one to carry her there." Apparently Yen was in on the whole thing too.

"I-I don't need to go there." Blake placed her knees on the ground and attempted to get up. The moment her ribs shifted though, her whole body lit up in agonizing pain and she collapsed back to the floor. "I won't go…" Despite this, she still managed to hiss out those words. If she went to the infirmary she would have to see Jaune.

And this would absolutely not be the way she saw him again.

* * *

Well, she certainly didn't look happy to see him again.

Blake was positively glowering at him as Penny carried her princess-style into the room and rather unceremoniously dropped her onto the bed. She let out a loud hiss of pain and clutched her ribs rather tightly.

"I will stand guard at the door, Jaune." Penny gave a rigid salute and he nodded to her appreciatively. It didn't exactly look like Blake was going anywhere in her condition but then again… she might even try to crawl out of here if she was desperate enough. Which she certainly looked so. Hopefully knowing Penny was at the door was enough to deter her from even trying.

As Penny walked away, he caught glimpse of Charlotte inspecting the android girl curiously. "Fascinating. She really does look like a real person. Yet you're telling me she was artificially created?"

' _Now that I think about it, what do you think would happen if I tried to link with her?'_ He hadn't given it much thought, he was so worried about his Semblance he hadn't exactly thought about things he could do with it.

Charlotte placed her fingers together in front of herself and her eyes went wide with wonder. "We should try it!"

' _That might not be such a hot idea. At least not until we can figure this out.'_

"Boo!" She pouted and he gave a small snort of amusement.

"I'm so glad you find my pain amusing…" Ah shit. He had already almost forgot about Blake. That probably wasn't good since she was still pretty angry and everything at him too.

"Sorry." He rubbed the back of his head and tried to give her the most apologetic grin he could muster.

"No you're not." She continued to glare at him defiantly. At least she wasn't trying to get away. Not that it looked like she would get far even if she did. Finally, the intensity of her stare diminished just a little. "...Did you tell Penny to do this?"

He scratched his cheek sheepishly. "Well, specifically... I used the idiom 'break a leg.' Thankfully it would appear Penny's learned that particular phrase is just a manner of speech. Although I'm guessing she did wind up breaking something."

"What was your first clue?" It looked like it even hurt for her to talk right now.

"Hmm...the first clue would be you clutching your stomach like an alien is about to burst out of it. The second-"

"I didn't want an answer!" Oops. Maybe Penny was rubbing off on him a little too much?

"Haha, sorry, sorry. I forgot how easy it was to rile you up." Still, it felt nice to get a reaction out of her, even if it was just her yelling at him. "...Seriously though, Blake. I am sorry. For a lot of things right now."

"...Prove it."

"You heard her, Jaune. Prove it." Shut up, Charlotte. She seriously wasn't helping.

' _How exactly am I supposed to do that? There's no way she'll let me link with her like this.'_ He had reservations about talking to Blake openly. But at this rate he didn't exactly have much choice.

"Weiss said it herself. Shirou already has to know what you're doing. It doesn't matter if you tell her in your head or out loud, he's onto you." Well that was comforting. But alright, then he supposed he was going to try this without the link first.

Hopefully get her to understand.

"Well… where do I even start?" He spun a hand in the air as he tried to think where exactly it all went wrong.

"How about at the beginning?" She seriously didn't have to say that with such bite. Although he probably had that one coming.

"Right… well I guess the beginning would be right after Initiation."

"What do you mean _right_ after Initiation?" Blake practically hissed as she started to get up. She only got about halfway before wincing in pain and collapsing back down onto the bed. Her Aura looked to be healing the wound but it was doing it rather slowly. "You've been keeping secrets from me for that long? I thought we came clear to one another that first night?"

"We did!" Jaune leaned forward on his bed, trying to bridge some of the distance. "I really did. I told you everything that night. It's just… more happened. A lot more happened."

"You say that like it's some kind of excuse for keeping me out of the loop. I trusted you with everything about me and I thought I could expect you to do the same. I even gave you so much time but you just kept pushing me away. Do you have any idea how that made me feel?"

"Of course I knew! How could you think I didn't? I linked with you time and time again. And every time we linked together I saw your suspicions grow and your patience wear increasingly thin. But I couldn't tell you. I was trying to keep your secret safe."

Blake's eyes narrowed dangerously. "...What did you say?"

Jaune's breath hitched. This wasn't how he was supposed to tell her. He already let it slip that someone outside of him knew though. "Ozpin… he knows you're a Faunus. I don't know how he knows. He just does."

"And he told you this? Why?" Before she even finished speaking those words her eyes widened in shock. "You've been sneaking around Lambent… because he threatened to reveal my secret?"

"Well, that and because of my transcripts." That part was kind of important too. "It's not like it was all your fault."

" _All my fault_!?" He probably could have picked his wording better on that one.

"T-that's not what I meant! " Damage control time. "What I'm trying to say is maybe I wouldn't have felt so pressured if I wasn't guarding both my secret and yours...you know?" Okay yeah, maybe he wasn't exactly very hot at damage control judging by the increasingly red complexion on Blake's face.

" _You_ have the audacity to keep secrets from me and then say that it's _my_ fault that you can't spill them! You could have told me. What was Ozpin going to do? Expose you for telling me my own secret? Did you use your head at all?"

"Alright. I think maybe we should back up a couple steps here." As seemed to be per usual, this argument was quickly derailing in a direction he had no control over. "I'm not trying to apply fault here. _I_ messed up. Okay? Happy? It was all me." Blake's bow twitched and the expression on her face certainly wasn't even remotely close to what he would call happy but at least she wasn't trying to bite his head off with words at the moment so he would call that progress.

"Anyways…" He proceeded once more, cautiously, ready for her to interrupt at any moment. She didn't. "...so like you figured out already, Ozpin had me spying on this place. He doesn't trust this place and wants to know why we're really out here."

"Why you?" He asked himself that question almost every day.

"He didn't think Shirou would expect me."

"You said 'didn't' that time…"

"Yeah… I kinda got caught. Turns out I'm not actually the best choice for all that espionage stuff. Maybe I didn't watch enough Bond movies or something?" Movies were pretty much the only experience he had with being a secret agent at all. Honestly, what did Ozpin even expect?

"God damnit, Jaune…" Blake was rubbing her temple like she had a sudden headache. "Did it honestly never once occur to you that I could have helped?"

His brow furrowed at her exasperated tone. "Of course it occurred to me. So many times I thought about asking you for help and getting you involved."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because I didn't know what I was going to find. I didn't know what would happen if _we_ got caught. If it was just me than I was the only one that would get punished. If it was you and me though, then we would both go down." Couldn't she see this was all for her?

"That's the reasoning I can't accept the most." Her words hit him like a cold slap. "What am I to you, Jaune? Some damsel in distress that needs to be protected? Some princess atop a tower? I'm not some weak girl. I have actual training unlike you. What did you think was going to happen if you got caught? You don't have the skills or the stealth to fight your way out."

For the first time since this argument started, Jaune felt his stomach churn. His eye twitched and his hands gripped together so tightly he thought his nails would pierce the flesh. She was exactly right of course… he was a fake, a cheater. He thought if anyone could see past that though, wouldn't it be her? "...You're not perfect either."

He didn't even realize those words came out of his own mouth until her eyes widened in surprise. There was no stopping now though. "I know you're not some weak girl that needs to be looked after. But damnit Blake, you're my partner! And I care about you. Every choice I made since we got here was with that in mind. You can't say the same."

Her widened eyes once again narrowed and he was pretty sure her pupils slit, accenting her feline nature. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"As if you don't already know. How about this whole past week that you've been selfishly fighting all by yourself? You won't talk to anyone on our team. Do you have any idea what that must have been doing to Ruby? She didn't do anything to deserve your spite and yet you took all your anger and frustration and let it shut you away from her. That's not what teammates do!"

"That is exactly what you did to me. Forgive me if my _leader_ set a bad example." Her tone was sharp and the jab at him clear, however she was no longer shouting. It was almost like the longer this went on the less she cared.

"This whole thing hasn't been easy for me. I've struggled and struggled to try and make the right choices. But it seems no matter what I do I just can't. Right now though, I'm trying to fix all that. I want to make it up to you… but I'm starting to get the feeling you don't even want to try." If that was true, then maybe he shouldn't try either.

He would just find another way to save himself from Arc Link.

Blake's mouth opened to retort and a barely audible breath left her mouth before whatever words she had prepared died on her tongue. Slowly, she clamped her mouth back shut and averted her eyes to the sheets on the bed. Then she began to mumble something not comprehensible.

"What?" He leaned forward and cupped a hand over his ear.

"I don't like being angry either… and I know I haven't been fair to Ruby… or Weiss." She included her as more of an afterthought. "I just don't know how I can bring myself to trust you again. You've seen everything about me and you used that to hurt me." He visibly flinched. "...If you wanted to make it up to me, then the only way would be by showing me everything about you too."

He shot a quick glance at Charlotte who nodded quickly.

"...Then you'll link with me again?" This was what he had been waiting for. If she wouldn't agree to link he couldn't possibly hope to accomplish this.

She quirked an eyebrow suspiciously. "Unless you suddenly learned a way to send the memories the other way, I'm not interested."

He gave a relieved grin. "I may have picked up a trick or two on my last little escapade." Her expression didn't change so he gave a small cough before correcting himself. "Yes, I figured out how to reverse the memory transfer."

For another few moments she didn't say anything and he started to sweat, wondering if she would continue to reject him anyways.

"...Fine." He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as she finally relented. Well, here went nothing. He gripped his hand together and pooled Aura into it. Once it built out he let the Aura pulse in a sphere that enveloped the area around him, washing over Blake in the process.

And connected their two Aura together for the first time since their fight.

* * *

 **AN:** Well, that took me long enough. Sorry about the delay folks.

I got caught in a really bad string of writer's block for this chapter. I actually initially wrote it out and was really unsatisfied with what I got. Problem was, I didn't know what the exact issue I had with it was. Coeur helped me a ton in figuring that out and once I knew where the issues were, I just had to fix them. Of course, this led to me making a lot of big changes that also effect the story going down so I had to redraft a lot of my plans going ahead too. Not fun stuff.

So that really kind of put a damper on my spirits with writing this and in turn I focused on my other story, Spectrum, for awhile in favor of this one until I could really get it figured out. Here's to hoping I got this from here on out, going ahead. Seriously though, massive shout out to Coeur who helped me a ton in getting this all figured out and making this story as good as it could be.

He even wrote me an Omake, so I hope y'all will check that out and hopefully get a good laugh out of it.

So many things have gone down in between updates for this story too. For starters, this story is officially more than one year old. I can't even believe it. I've been writing fanfiction longer than a year now. That's pretty crazy for me, who usually has the attention-span of a goldfish. So I must really be having fun. Also, this story has now broken 1k Follows and Favorites. That's incredible. Thanks so much for all your support, and it makes me feel even worse that I've gone so long without giving you guys an update, haha.

And of course, Volume 3 has started. When I began writing this, Volume 2 was already over, I think. It's kinda fuzzy now. Don't matter. Point is, the show is back. And I'm prepared for them to drop things that'll make my story non-canon, more than it already is. Bring it on! Having said that, most things they reveal won't affect the plot I have for this going ahead greatly. I may incorporate some things in to fit though if I can. For instance, I do plan to bring Winter Schnee into this story. I may also use more of the teams by name now that we've got more groups. Probably not for anything super plot relevant, just to have more nameable background characters is all.

Also, also. There is officially a canon Team Auburn now. Albeit their acronym is ABRN whereas this team is AWBR. Might have to write something silly where they fight it out, to determine the true Auburn once and for all! (Hint: it's ABRN. I'm just a lowly, plebeian fanfic writer, after all)

* * *

 **Omake**

Written by Coeur Al'Aran

Blake shuffled nervously, yellow eyes glancing left and right as she snuck down the abandoned hallways of Lambent, her heels clicking lightly on the metal floor. Each step made her wince, as she expected someone to come barrelling out of the nearby doors at a moment's notice – demanding to know what she was doing out after curfew.

But this was worth the risk… it always was, and no doubt she wasn't the only student making the perilous journey.

A quick swipe of her scroll against a door made it open with a hiss. The students all had access to the training rooms, an oversight perhaps – that the Lambent faculty had not thought to revoke that access after dark.

Like the resourceful teenagers they all were, the students had soon realised, and quickly commandeered the room for their own purposes.

She pulled her thick black hood over her hair and features, shrouding her face in darkness as she walked into the room.

Muffled conversation washed over her, dim lights shone from various corners – as shrouded figures sat huddled on small rugs and seats, random items arranged before them. Others crowded around these collections, congregating in small groups as eyes flashed, hands darting forwards to touch and inspect. Numbers and negotiations flew through the air.

It was incredible… something that only could appear in somewhere like Lambent.

The Black Market.

Blake walked slowly past one stall, glancing briefly at the assorted goods – mostly food and sweet treats arranged before the vendor. Chocolate, jelly – bags of sugared goods. Her mouth went dry as she thought of them, and yet with a disciplined swallow she continued on.

In Lambent, GKP was king. Without it you could not eat, could not access resources you needed to continue studying at the facility. But even then, what you could purchase was dreadfully limited. Hence the Black Market itself.

Earn a little extra GKP, slay some powerful Grimm – and if you managed to make a small profit, then you could acquire the items you truly desired.

For a price, of course.

Anything was tradable, everything had a price. You wanted your homework done? You could buy that – wanted to earn some GKP, well someone would pay for tutoring… Sweets, contraband, alcohol, weapons… condoms. Prices fluctuated wildly, all determined by supply and demand – and in such a dangerous place as Lambent, supply was at an all-time low.

But she was not here for such transient entertainment. She was beyond such foolish temptation, let others waste their valuable GKP on a moment's pleasure.

She had larger goals. Something infinitely more valuable.

"You're just in time," the figure at the entrance to a secluded area said, pulling back a curtain with one hand to let her pass, "the auction is about to begin."

She ducked through the entrance, nodding her brief thanks as it closed behind her. Inside was a slightly raised platform, and before that; six figures – each disguised, each slouched or lounging on cushions and padded seats.

"Our first lot," a female voice spoke, as a robed woman walked out onto the stage, "and perhaps our most desired lot of the night… the freshly released, and brand new issue of Ninjas of Love – Professor-sensei-BDSM-love-love-extravaganza." She paused, as the audience went dead silent. "Hardcore edition."

Blake's entire body shivered, but she controlled herself, trying to scan those who would dare to compete with her for this Godly prize. Like seasoned bidders they hid their intention, showing no weakness she could latch onto. One was flipping a card between his fingers – nervous habit, or distraction?

Another cracked their neck. Again she tried to read into it – had they been sat here a long time, were they that desperate?

That was a silly question, for Ninjas of Love fans – there could only be desperation.

"Do I have 1,000 GKP?" The woman said, and Blake could hear her cruel smile, even as she gasped. A thousand GKP – that was enough to eat for a week, and yet she found her hand rising regardless.

"Eleven hundred." A male voice to her left said, immediately earning her ire.

"Twelve." Another interrupted, female this time – the one with the cards no less.

"Fourteen." Blake declared, eyes closing as she imagined the pangs she would feel in the coming days. She could probably get by with just an apple for breakfast each day.

"Sixteen."

The hall went silent, all eyes turned to the figure at the back who had spoken. A new entrant? Damn it, and he had money to burn by the sounds of it. Sixteen hundred for a book – you could buy enough alcohol to get smashed for that amount. She should know, she'd had Yang complain to her about it, while being violently ill in her room!

"Going once." The auctioneer began, before Blake stood up.

"Eighteen."

"Two thousand." The figure said, so fast that there had not even been time for anyone to gasp.

"Two-two." Blake gritted out, already planning her next excursion into the Grimm Wasteland.

"Two-five." The bastard added, drawing it even further in efforts to frighten her. As though she would fall for something so transparent, there was no sacrifice too far when it came to art!

"Three thousand."

Sun was into her right? He might be willing to lend her some GKP – and she could maybe do some of Jaune's homework… and Penny was tough, maybe she could convince her to go hunting together?

"Three and a half thousand." The consummate asshole raised his hand.

"Four." Okay… she had like seven friends right, if she just pinched a little bit from their plates every day, maybe a slice of onion there, a bit of tuna there…

"Four-two." That was only an increase of two hundred! He was weakening!

"Four-five." He turned to her, and she could feel his enmity. But she would not be denied, this was what she needed. More than food, more than somewhere to sleep. Hell, she could crash with Ruby… and she'd need to be out almost every day hunting Grimm – but it would be worth it.

Damn it!

Damn it! He thought angrily as he stared at the hooded girl competing with him.

"Six thousand!" He shouted out, and he could see her reel back as though in pain at the sum, even as he winced himself.

It would be worth it though… Blake was really into this series, it would make a great present for her.

Being in love was expensive, Jaune Arc had quickly realised.

* * *

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

 **Auburn**

 _Forgiveness_

* * *

Blake's mind whirled as memories flooded her in such an overflowing capacity she wasn't possibly able to comprehend it all. So many small moments and times from Jaune's past hit her like a tidal wave and she felt as if she was going to drown in them.

In the back of her mind, she supposed she had always wanted this. Well, wanted it at least since she figured out Jaune had taken all her memories. It had always seemed so unfair to her. That he would have all those memories tucked inside of him, that he would know everything about her, and yet she only knew so little about him.

Part of her knew that wasn't his fault, at least until now she believed that. But he had been able to reverse it all along? Or had he only just found out how? She supposed one way or the other she was going to find out, thanks to the memory transfer. It was ironic. Even as she finally started to see his memories, she was already beginning to wish she hadn't.

Not just because of the great pain it was causing her mind either. But also because of all the little things he had growing up, things she never did. She… never knew either of her parents, having been raised by the White Fang.

Jaune not only had both parents, but many siblings. As a child he had everything he ever wanted. Warm food, familial love, a roof constantly over his head. All luxuries she rarely had the chance to enjoy while growing up. And yet, he threw all of that away to become a Huntsmen, despite never be qualified for it, despite what he saw it do to his own father.

Blake thought that by receiving Jaune's memories she would finally be able to understand him like he did her. Only to now discover that Jaune and her were possibly far too different to ever truly understand one another.

The memories began to enter familiar territory as she saw the green canopy of the Emerald Forest. She then watched as he ran out to help her fight the King Taijitu. That… felt like forever ago.

She remembered thinking he was worthless during that exchange, and had almost abandoned him before making eye contact. It wasn't wrong to say the only reason she had stayed behind was pity. But now she saw it from his eyes, and how terrified he had been. That had been his first real encounter against a Grimm ever.

And despite the fact that he had been terrified, he ran out to save her. He overcame his own fear, just to do what he thought was right. This was something she always knew about Jaune though. Ever since that trip into the cave. It just seemed to only hammer in more now than ever, especially since she had forgotten about it with how angry she had been.

The whole initiation flew past her eyes in what felt like a second. Then the night of the infirmary when Jaune woke up, followed by their team assignment the next day. After that she bore witness to the conversation with Ozpin that started the whole mess Jaune found himself in to begin with.

The next week and they were off to Lambent. Shirou Schnee called them up to the office and Razor Canyon began. For the first time, she saw the beginning of that night play out as Jaune and the others fought for their lives. Penny nearly died during their bout with Shirou Schnee. And her true nature was revealed.

 _Static_

Blake visibly flinched as a loud screeching ring filled her ears and the memories seized, filling her mindscape with nothing but black and white. A moment later and it ended, with him healing her after the Hydra attack.

That must have been… the Cackler attack. That moment was gone forever from his mind, and he would never be able to recover it. She could have sworn though that he had met his ancestor immediately after that, yet that was conspicuously absent.

The next month went by in the blink of an eye and the night he descended beneath the tower finally arrived. Another spike of pain burst through her brain and she thought it was another moment he had erased.

Only to realize this was worse.

Much, much, worse.

The Omega. That was what Jaune had found. That was what Ozpin had been looking for at this facility this whole time. She gripped the side of her head and mouth opened wide in a voice scream as the very image of that thing just from Jaune's memories practically tore her sanity apart.

What was this thing? How was it possible they were living overtop something so impure? Evil was the only way to describe this thing. Pure, unbiased, evil. Shirou knew about this thing. He told Jaune everything he wanted to know about it.

She didn't care anymore. She just wanted him to leave that room. At least skip this section of memories. Just his being near this thing was causing her head to spin and throat to fill with bile. She thought she might actually throw up from these memories alone.

Finally, he left the basement, but the next set of memories weren't any better as she got to relive their fight all over again, just from his side this time. As if this moment wasn't bad enough just from her side, she now saw how badly it affected him too.

 _Static_

Then as if a whole section had been wiped, it skipped from her walking away to him sprinting away from giant wasp-like Grimm. She didn't have time to be surprised as the events of the Valley of the Ancients played out. He went from fighting wasps to Earth Dragons and some strange monkey-like Grimm. Then he was pinned down by the Earth Dragons.

 _Static_

It seemed to be happening more frequently now, as Jaune continued to erase memories to heal himself. The next thing she knew, he and Ruby were fighting some giant Earth Dragon and he suddenly had this new ability called Aurora. How or why he discovered it though, those memories had somehow been lost.

Finally, as he defeated the Prime Evil, the memories came to a grinding halt and she collapsed backwards, not even realizing she had been sitting up. The pain in her ribs was long gone, Jaune's combined Aura having healed them during the memory transfer. Instead she now had a pounding migraine and she wasn't actually sure which was worse.

' _...You okay?'_ Jaune's voice resonated inside her mind.

' _I'm not sure what part of me could possibly feel okay after seeing all of that.'_ Too bad she had pretty much demanded to see it too, so it wasn't like she could exactly yell at him for showing her. That didn't make her any less frustrated though. This whole time and he had been hiding something this large from her?

' _If it's any consolation, I know how you feel.'_ It really wasn't any. Whatever, she had more important things to worry about now.

' _Why… did you decide to show us at all? What changed?'_ His eyes clearly showed his confusion at her question and she watched as his nose wrinkled, almost as if he was trying to solve some kind of puzzle.

She really didn't understand what prompted his sudden change of heart though. He ran into the Valley, somehow awakened Aurora, and then just decided to start sharing memories with them.

"I think I should be able to answer that." Blake had to fight the urge to give a loud shriek as a unknown voice spoke from directly behind her. She whirled around to see a beautiful blonde girl, one eerily similar to the one Jaune described the night he discovered his Semblance. She gave a small curtsey and a shining smile. "It's wonderful to meet you, Blake Belladonna. My name is Charlotte."

' _I don't understand…'_ Jaune stole the words right from Blake's mouth. She hadn't seen any sign that he connected with her again in his memories.

"It would appear that for some reason, Blake is unable to see me in your memories. I don't really understand why myself. I assume it has something to do with the fact that she is your Aura awakener." Charlotte gave a small shrug and grinned innocently, but Blake couldn't help but narrow her eyes in suspicion.

' _You're… his ancestor, right?'_

"I am his Semblance Predecessor. I am not an Arc nor was I related to any Arcs." Okay, then why call it Arc Link? "I did not have such a handy feature when I was alive with this Semblance, so there are still some things we have to learn about the relationship between Jaune's link and my own. I'm hoping you will help us with this, Blake?"

The Faunus shot a quick glance back at Jaune but he only nodded enthusiastically with a big smile spread across his face. For whatever reason, he seemed to just be taking this girl's words at face value. She didn't like it though. Wasn't it just a little too convenient that she happened to not see anything about her at all? _'So then… what did you tell Jaune that made him decide to share his memories.'_

Jaune and Charlotte shared an awkward look that only lasted about half a second, but it wasn't something she missed. _'Well, the thing is, Arc Link-'_

"The true purpose of Arc Link is to connect him to Aurora." Charlotte cut him off. Jaune looked startled by her sudden interruption, and if she didn't know any better, she would say he was trying to figure out where exactly she was going with her explanation. "In order to get a proper handle over that power though, he needs to completely open up with Arc Link, and share his memories with everyone he has linked to. That's the best way to open himself up to that power."

So he hadn't done it because of any desire to actually come clean to them? Only so he could get stronger? She supposed either way she should be happy that he finally opened up at all. However, now that she did know, she also understood just what kind of position she had been put in. _'You know that by keeping these secrets for so long, you've put all our lives in danger?'_

"You still haven't forgiven Jaune yet? He already showed you everything. So let's just let bygones be bygones already and move on." Charlotte waved the whole matter away so dismissively, Blake had a hard time believing this girl once shared Jaune's Semblance.

' _Whether or not I've forgiven Jaune isn't the issue right now.'_ She once more turned on him and he shrunk back from her intense gaze. _'Because you didn't include me in all this from the beginning, you've put yourself in this fine mess and now you've dragged all of us into as well by showing us your memories with the Omega-'_

"First you want him to show you his memories, now that you have them you want him to take them back? Make up your mind." Blake's eye twitched but instead of responding to Charlotte she decided to continue what she was saying.

' _We need to tell Ozpin. That's without a doubt our best plan of action.'_ She stared Jaune directly in the eyes, imploring him to see her reasoning. They were all in danger now that Jaune had told them. Shirou may spare Weiss, but the rest of them wouldn't have any such luck. That crazy bastard would kill them without a doubt. Only once they didn't have to worry about that anymore, than she could start trying to forgive Jaune for everything.

The quickest route to that was telling Ozpin. And it wasn't like Jaune was going to disagree with her now of all times, especially while he was still trying to earn back her trust.

"...No."

* * *

It took Jaune's brain several seconds to realize those words had come from himself. And another few more to process the absolutely furious scowl that formed on Blake's face.

' _...What do you mean, no?'_ Well, that truce had lasted a whole whopping thirty seconds. This wasn't the purpose he had shared his memories with Blake for. It was supposed to be so she would forgive him. Not so they could argue about what to do next.

' _Shirou isn't the problem here.'_ Even so, this wasn't something he could back down from.

' _I'm sorry. What!?'_ Blake's fury gave way to a look of pure shock and he could tell she was trying to figure out just where this was coming from. It honestly surprised him a little. They had shared all their memories with one another. You would think than that they would be capable of understanding one another then? Yet that wasn't the case at all.

' _Shirou doesn't want to kill us. I know he doesn't. He's only doing what he feels he has to do. If we go to Ozpin though, we'll officially tie his hands. He'll have no choice but to kill us and the only one that can defend us until Ozpin gets someone here is Professor Port. We would all die if Shirou really came at us with the intent to kill.'_

' _That man is a psychopath! What makes you think you have any understanding about what's going on inside his head?'_

' _He and I are… friends.'_ He almost couldn't believe those words came out at all, especially over the mental link, where it was almost impossible to lie. Maybe it wasn't so crazy though? Shirou understood him, probably in ways he didn't even understand himself.

' _You are going to seriously call that guy your friend? After everything he's put you through? Even though he might kill you?'_

' _Listen, I know this sounds crazy. But like I said, Shirou doesn't want to kill us. You saw it in my memories, right? He's only doing this because his brother, Weiss' father, wants it done. I don't think he particularly cares whether the whole world finds out about the Omega one way or the other. But because his brother doesn't want anyone else knowing, he's going to go along with that.'_

' _So what? I don't care about Shirou or his motivations. He's just as guilty for hiding this thing as everyone else. Let him go down with them.'_ At her words, his teeth clenched so hard he could hear them grind together. His arms began shaking so bad he knew she must have been able to see it.

' _You're really going to condemn people… for hiding something? You of all people are going to tell me that is wrong!?'_ Blake recoiled as if he had slapped her. _'You keep going on and on about how Shirou is the problem here for hiding something and how I'm at fault for keeping all this from you. But you're not much better than either of us.'_

' _My secret isn't potentially jeopardizing the entire human race!'_ She recovered quickly enough, and almost immediately had a quick retort.

"The two of you are arguing semantics." Charlotte randomly appeared between the two of them, blocking their view of one another. "Big secrets, little secrets, right, wrong; you two are throwing these things in one another's faces like it actually has any relevance to the matter at hand."

She was right of course. Jaune knew that. He had a feeling Blake knew that too. It was just hard for them sometimes… especially with a topic as sensitive to Blake in regards to her secret. He knew better than to bring that up, because it would only steer their argument off track. He just couldn't stand though that she kept belittling him for having his own secrets.

' _...I suppose that's fair enough.'_ Blake relented too, although he still couldn't see her because Charlotte refused to move out of the way. _'We need to tell Ozpin though. Jaune, we're not equipped to handle this.'_

He gave a sigh and ran a hand through his blonde hair. _'It's not like I don't plan to never tell Ozpin. There's something we have to do before that though.'_

' _The longer we delay, the longer we give that bastard to kill us.'_ Charlotte finally stepped out of the way, allowing their eyes to once more connect. She naturally wasn't relenting, but that didn't mean he couldn't give up either.

' _Not if we convince Shirou that telling Ozpin is the right thing to do.'_ He had to believe there was some way to do that.

' _You said it yourself. He doesn't care about whether telling Ozpin is right or wrong. He only cares about what his brother wants.'_

' _Then we just need to become more important to him than his brother.'_ He wasn't even sure if that was possible. Shirou believed he owed his brother his life. He didn't see any other option though.

' _...Please tell me you're joking.'_ He probably should've expected that response.

"Shirou is already unnaturally fond of Jaune. Besides, he seems to care greatly for his niece as well. I image your group is closer to him already than you think." Thankfully Charlotte seemed to side with him on this. He supposed it was only natural that she would. Even if they were different people, having the same Semblance meant they shared similar ideals.

' _You know what you're asking of me, right?'_ Of course, what he was proposing they do was no small thing for Blake. The Schnee were practically a symbol of racism to the White Fang. Few were as belligerent towards her kind as they were.

' _You've learned to get along with Weiss. And besides, Shirou is only half-Schnee.'_ God, he was starting to use Shirou's lines now too. He loved Blake, but that didn't mean he was going to just let her betray his other friend. If possible, he wanted them to get along. Even if that meant using his corny lines to try and prove a point.

' _Weiss and I haven't exactly been getting along lately.'_ Well, she wasn't wrong about that. She averted her eyes as she thought those words and he could tell she regretted that.

' _It's not too late to fix that. If you apologize to her, I'm sure she'll forgive you.'_

' _The same way I've forgiven you?'_ Ouch, well that certainly stung. He knew there was a possibility that even with all his memories, she still wouldn't forgive him, but he had held out hope. A small part of him, in the back of his mind, was actually annoyed that she still couldn't understand that he had tried to do this all for her.

Right now though, he was just going to have to give her time and hope that she would come around. It wasn't like it was completely impossible. He had to believe that if he wanted to have any hope of pulling this team back together.

' _I'm not forcing you to do this Blake. I would like it if you would support me in this decision though. In fact… I want to put this to a team vote later.'_ She quirked an eyebrow curiously at his suggestion. _'If the three of you would rather tell Ozpin, than that is what we'll do. I don't like it, but then again, I've dug myself into this hole because I've been trying to make all the decisions on my own. So this time… we can all make the decision together.'_

If she really had no intention of being a part of this team anymore, than she didn't have to participate in this at all. If she did though, then she could talk to Weiss and Ruby. Even if she wanted to convince them against his plan. He would accept it if he really was alone in wanting to convince Shirou.

' _...Fine. That sounds fair to me.'_ He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He didn't want to admit it, but for just a second he thought it was possible that he had lost Blake for good.

They hadn't repaired their relationship by any means. However, at least she was willing to give him a chance to try and repair all the damage he had caused. Maybe once they weren't busy trying to figure out how to survive?

' _I guess that's it than, until we can meet up with Weiss and Ruby.'_ He gave a small start at her words. They had finally come to a small resolution and a natural silence had settled between them. Although he wasn't quite done yet. Charlotte had told him to share with her everything. For some reason though, any memories of Charlotte hadn't transferred. That meant she had no idea what Arc Link was doing to him.

' _Actually-'_ Just as he resolved himself to tell that too though, he felt the connection between them sever. "What the heck?" He looked down at himself, as if somehow that would help him figure out what went wrong with the link.

"Oops, my bad." He turned to Charlotte just in time to see her lightly bonk herself on the head while giving it a small tilt. "I'm still learning what I can and can't do with Arc Link. Apparently I have control over the active Link status between you and others."

He quirked an eyebrow at her and then gave a small snort of amusement. She really was just like him in some regards. "What happened?" Blake didn't get to hear any of her explanation though, having already been cut off from the Link, she couldn't perceive Charlotte anymore.

"Charlotte just goofed up is all. Anyways, like I was saying-"

"Maybe-" Charlotte once again cut him off, although this time with her words. "We shouldn't tell her about the side effects of Arc Link afterall."

"...What?" He didn't understand. He thought Blake was the most important person to tell. It was imperative that she knew more than anyone else. That was what Charlotte said before.

"What's going on?" Blake looked even more confused than he did, not able to hear his and Charlotte's conversation.

"It is true that I thought you should tell Blake at first. After watching your conversation play out just now though, I'm starting to think that isn't a good idea." He tried not to, but his eyes inadvertently darted to Blake for half-a-second, something both of them undoubtedly noticed.

' _What do mean? Say it in words I can understand.'_ He just wished that for once people wouldn't always be so cryptic.

"Blake needs to forgive you for what you've done. But that is something you have to earn. If you tell her you think you're dying, what do you think the end result is going to be?" He had to think about that for a minute. No matter how mad Blake was at him, she surely didn't want him to die. That meant… if it was to help him save his own life, she might really try and forgive him, never mind arguing about what to do with Shirou.

' _I'm not sure I see the problem here.'_ Blake forgiving him, regardless of the reason, had to be a good thing. In fact, they might not have had this argument at all if she heard everything he had learned about Arc Link.

"You're being naive, Jaune. That isn't true forgiveness. That is only circumstantial." So she was saying… that her forgiving him like that was somehow weak? More of a stopgap than an actual solution? He supposed he understood. There was another problem though.

' _I already showed that to Ruby and Weiss. They know what Arc Link is doing to me. Blake will find out one way or the other.'_ He just didn't see an outcome where she didn't find out in the end.

"I'm not saying hide it from her forever. Just until after you two manage to truly reconcile your differences." Yeah, then she would just get mad at him again. That was all he needed. "Listen, this is for the best. I promise you that, Jaune. Do you trust me?"

' _Of course I trust you. I wouldn't even be here right now if not for you. I'm just a little confused because this is so different than what I thought the plan was supposed to be.'_ It seemed like every time he finally had it figured out, something changed.

"Jaune." Blake interrupted their conversation and he turned back to her. She was glaring at him, her eyes occasionally dancing around the room as if trying to locate Charlotte.

"Just not right now… later." Charlotte whispered these words in his ear.

He gave the smallest nod. He had only made it this far by listening to her. No reason to think she was leading him astray now. "So like I was saying, let's get Penny back in here. That way you can leave if you want to." He nodded towards the door and she glanced over his shoulder at it.

He thought for sure she would spring up and run for it, eager to get away from him. After all, she definitely hadn't forgiven him yet. Instead she gave a tired sigh and flopped back onto the bed. "I don't really feel like it. I think I'll just take a nap. I don't get docked for GKP if I'm in here for an injury."

Jaune gave a small smile as he also laid back on his bed. "Sounds good." Even if they didn't have anything to say to one another, he would take Blake agreeing to stay in the same room as him as a big leap forward. This would also give him time to figure out how to finish making it up to her. He should probably start with Tuna...

* * *

Something wasn't adding up.

Blake wasn't sure what it was, but she would be damned if that Charlotte girl wasn't hiding something from her. Of course, she couldn't prove anything. And it wasn't like it was much more than just a hunch. But there was without a doubt something about this whole thing that she just didn't like.

Jaune out of the blue decided to start telling them everything. At first, she had believed it was just so he could use Aurora. But the more she thought about it, the more that didn't make sense. Jaune would never compromise himself just for power. It had to be… to help someone. That was just who he was. Who exactly was he benefitting by sharing all this though?

She didn't know. She didn't have nearly enough of the pieces to the puzzle, and she had a sneaking suspicion that wasn't by accident.

Charlotte.

She seemed to have a reason for everything, always quick with an answer, but that in and of itself was already odd. Jaune was always floundering to supply an ample reasoning. Except for when he was spinning a tale. And she had a feeling that Charlotte wasn't any different. She just had to wait for a chance to prove it. Cautiously, she glanced at Jaune out of the corner of her eye.

He wasn't saying anything, but she could tell he was looking right at where that girl was probably hanging around, filling his head with who knew what. Did she vanish anymore? Blake didn't understand how his Semblance worked. First he couldn't get in contact with her at all, now she wouldn't leave his side. Either way, it would be impossible to bring her suspicions up to him while she hung over his shoulder, whispering into his ear at any given moment.

Until she could prove anything, she had plenty of other things to worry about anyways. Such as convincing Ruby and Weiss that telling Ozpin was the right thing to do. Of course, in order to do that, she had to ask them for their forgiveness. That was ironic. Here she was, still hesitant to offer forgiveness herself, yet she was going to ask for it.

Yet even if she hadn't forgiven him completely, she could appreciate that he was trying. Besides, she didn't want to see him get deceived, especially by some dead girl that he already seemed to put his absolute blind faith into.

* * *

 **AN:** Blake and Jaune finally almost make up...just to have another fight. I'm such a horrible person...

Shorter chapter this time around, but this is actually around the length I would like to keep the chapters at from here on out. If I think about it, this was always what I wanted the average length to be, but that just kind of kept getting away from me. Maybe I'll be able to keep it back down to this length? Maybe not? We'll find out, I'm sure.

Next time, some insight on Weiss and what she thinks of all this.

* * *

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

 **Auburn**

 _Misery_

* * *

Weiss tapped her foot as she waited for the elevator to take her to the top floor of the tower The floor that consisted only of the headmaster's office. The room her uncle was almost surely located in at that very moment.

Talking to him… was definitely a bad decision. Her uncle had no proof of what Jaune was doing. He had no real way of knowing that she now knew about the Omega. That is, if her blood-curdling scream hadn't been enough of an indication when she absorbed Jaune's memories.

He had been so shocked by her yell that he cut the memory transfer and that was as far as they got. That was as far as she needed to see though. Her mind hadn't been capable of taking any more. Knowing that thing was living beneath them at this very moment. It was terrifying.

Knowing that it was her father's company that had unearthed it… that was even worse. Even though he knew about this thing the whole time, he still allowed her to attend. Why did he do that? What reason would he possibly have to let his youngest daughter come to a place that housed such an abomination?

Just thinking about it made her stomach churn. She needed to know. She absolutely had to know. She wouldn't dare speak to him about it though. That left only one person she could really talk to about all of this. Yet by talking to him at all she was possibly putting the rest of her team in danger.

She knew that… and if it came to it, she would be the one to protect them. She wouldn't let anything more happen to her team. They were already close enough to breaking as it was. Hopefully Jaune was going to be able to fix that, because they were going to need to stand together now more than ever.

Finally the elevator rolled to a stop and the door slid open. Weiss strolled purposely forward into the office, head held high and not even the slightest of hitch in her step. She couldn't let her uncle see any weakness, or he would surely pounce on it, like the bastard he was.

"Well if it isn't my favourite niece." Shirou grinned coyly, leaning back away from the computer as he gave her his attention. As always, the sinister on his face was creepy and made it impossible to have any kind of indication of what he might actually be thinking. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your most unusual visit? You've never come to see me before. Yet isn't it curious? The moment your precious leader wakes up, you come running."

Weiss' eye twitched. "Quit with the rhetorical questions, Uncle. It only proves that you know why I'm here. So let's just get to it already."

"Why yes." Shirou nodded sagely as he leaned forward, the cocky grin on his face only getting wider and his eyes cracked the smallest amounts open, allowing her to see into them. The deep-rooted hatred at the entire world that they always seemed to hold frightened her and she almost instinctively stepped back. "Perhaps I should stop with the rhetorical questions? But will you humour me for just a couple more? I personally think they're great."

He waited for her response and despite herself, she gave the most minute of nods.

"Great! Because here they are. Now if I know why you're here, that pretty much proves that a certain blond has told a certain favorite little niece of mine something he really shouldn't have, doesn't it?"

"And if that certain blond went so far as to break his promise to me, I would have to go slice his throat in his sleep, now wouldn't I?"

"Because I may or may not have promised him to do that much, if you catch my drift?" She couldn't help but notice him casually drum his fingers against the hilt of his katana, which sat across his desk as he said all this, in a tone that could've been either jocular, or deadly serious.

"Now that I'm done with my rhetorical questions, let's get to the real reason for your visit. So go ahead, Weiss. Say what you've come to say." Her mouth opened wide but no words came out. Instead, she gave the smallest of "eeps" before her throat clenched tight, making it suddenly very hard to breathe. It was getting unbearably hot in his office all of the sudden and her hands began to clam up. She was also pretty sure the room was beginning to spin.

She was going to get Jaune killed. This had been a bad idea. Yet that hadn't been enough to stop her and now here she was, unable to say anything, even deny her uncle's words. Why couldn't she have just left well enough alone and dealt with this problem with the rest of her team? It was too late for regrets now. She had to get out of here. She had to go get Jaune, and get him away from here.

Where would they go? Penny, she had that Bullhead of hers. She could fly them out of here. They could escape that way, and if it was to protect Jaune that unusual girl wouldn't even blink. It was a half-assed plan at best but right now it was the best she had.

"Oh! Don't make that face." Shirou suddenly gave a loud snort and doubled over as he smacked the wooden desk, reverberating a loud clap across the office that startled her so much she jumped practically a full foot into the air. "I'm screwing with you. Oh man! It's been so long since I got someone that bad." He pulled out his scroll and held it up. "Wait, wait. Keep that face a second longer. I gotta send this to your sister."

"Uncle!" Weiss shrieked so loudly her voice echoed throughout the office. "That's not funny! You're joking about my leader's life. Have you no shame?" She was positive that her face was beet red and it was taking every fibre of willpower in her entire being not to leap across the room and attempt to strangle him.

"Shame? What's that?" He asked innocently, tapping away at his Scroll. No doubt she hadn't recovered quickly enough and he was already sending that picture out.

She wanted to berate him further. However, the problem with him was she still actually didn't know how much of that had been serious or how little of it was a joke. If she misstepped, he might actually make good on his threat. Why did the men in her family have to be so difficult to deal with?

"Jaune is an incredibly lucky guy, did you know that? Or I guess incredibly unlucky, depending on your perspective." He finally set the Scroll down and once more returned his attention back to her.

"...How do you figure?" At this point she was honestly too scared to agree or disagree with anything he said.

"I mean, where do I even start?" Shirou threw his hands in the air and swivelled the chair in a full circle. "He cheats his way into Beacon, and ends up here." With everything going on, she had actually forgotten about that. Ordinarily that would have infuriated her, but at this point Jaune had more than proven himself as her leader, so she would just let it slide now. "Discovers one of Remnant's most coveted secrets but the one to catch him is such an understanding guy. Breaks his promise anyways the second chance he gets, but just so happens to make another discovery so big that I can't possibly kill him now without having a little fun first."

Wait… what?

"You didn't hear?" Shirou looked at her excitedly. "You really have no idea what Jaune found in that valley?" Well, she knew he had found his Semblance predecessor. But only because she had chat with her briefly. The memories after that had been cut because of the Omega. "He found something humanity didn't even know existed."

"You mean that Grimm?"

"Not just any Grimm. That was one of _the_ Grimm." She had never seen her uncle so positively excited about something. "That Grimm, that Prime Evil, it recycles all other Grimm. Spits them out like a damn factory. This is incredible! Do you know what this means?"

"That… everything we've been doing since the beginning of time has been a complete waste?" If this thing really "recycled" other Grimm, then didn't that mean all their actions, their wars up until now, had been fruitless endeavours?

"Precisely!" Of course he agreed way too enthusiastically. "Isn't that the ultimate joke? We as humans have been killing the same exact, replicated spawn over and over again since we first crawled out of the dirt, making not even the smallest centimetre of progress this whole time, yet never even realising it."

"...Is this a good thing?" His words said no, but his tone said yes.

"Oh no! It's horrible." She hated him.

"You know how many veteran Hunters would probably commit suicide if they found out? Why, humanity would probably just lay down and give up altogether if they heard about this." Then why the Hell did he look so happy? "But now one of them is dead! Your leader, not only found one, he killed it."

"So we can kill them?" That certainly sounded hopeful. "How many more of them are there?"

"No idea!" Weiss almost fell over. She felt like an idiot for getting her hopes up. "But we might be able to locate them now."

"...We?" Had he actually told other people about this revelation already?

"Professor Yen and myself. She's going to attempt to design some kind of device that can detect molecules of the smoke Grimm leave behind. If we can detect that smoke… we can follow it. And if we can follow it, then it will lead us right to the next Prime Evil."

"You're not… going to tell anyone else?" He was going to hide this too? Just like he was hiding the Omega.

"I plan to... eventually." He added the last word as more of an afterthought. "First, I want to see if we can actually track them. And more importantly, if we can, is Jaune going to be able to continue killing them?" At these words, Weiss felt her stomach drop.

"You can't seriously mean…"

"Oh but I do."

"That's suicide! You don't know how strong these things are! What if he only got lucky against this one?" They didn't have nearly enough information to just start trying to fight these things. This wasn't something they could just throw someone at and hope it all worked out.

"Oh, I'm rather counting on the others to be stronger. After all, this one was stuck in that valley for how many hundreds of years? If it had been capable of collecting Grimm smoke, it would have surely done so to escape long before now. For reasons we don't understand though, it was stuck down there and had to trick Jaune into killing other Grimm for it."

"I thought you said you weren't going to kill Jaune?" She grit her teeth and glared at him with as much animosity as she could muster.

" _I'm_ not going to be the one to kill him. One of those Prime Evil might though." Shirou leaned forward and interlaced his fingers together. "Or maybe he'll keep up that lucky streak of his and continue to defy an untimely demise?"

"You...you're going to turn this into another one of your twisted games?" It shouldn't have been surprising. Her uncle loved making a game out of life. Yet every time he did, it never failed to appal her all over again.

"Of course." He had no qualms with affirming it in that matter-of-fact tone of his. "It's not like I'm stacking the deck completely against him. Yen is almost certainly going to want to send Penny. And as your leader has almost certainly involved your other two teammates in this little secret, they'll be expected to participate too." Great, so he was going to try and kill them all in one swoop. "I frankly don't see what you're so upset about. Jaune is the one that broke his promise. He's lucky I really don't slit his throat in his sleep."

"What makes you think I don't believe you won't?" Weiss instinctively rested a hand on the hilt of Myrtenaster. "For all I know you're only playing mind games with me. You could be worried Jaune might still tell Ozpin and kill him just because that's what Father wants."

At this Shirou gave an amused snort. "Please. Jaune won't tell Ozpin." He said that confidently despite the fact Jaune had now told three others. "Him telling the three of you was well within my calculations. The moment it was him that stepped out of the elevator that night, I already knew how this was going to play out."

She scoffed at his claim. "Even you can't see that far ahead."

"I didn't need my Semblance for this one. I can say this because Jaune and I understand one another. We're friends, after all. And it's because he believes that too that he _will_ play my game. I won't even have to twist his arm, or threaten to kill Miss Belladonna to convince him."

"You sick-"

"He'll also be excited to learn that I have a surprise waiting for him if he can somehow overcome these insurmountable odds and continue to kill the Prime Evil."

"A… surprise?" Despite her better judgement, she asked anyways.

"Well I can't tell you what it is, now can I?" Of course not. That would have been too easy. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it. There is likely to be some time before Yen completes her device. So until then, y'all have some time to breathe. Enjoy your freedom while you can."

Like they could actually do that.

"I trust you'll pass all this onto him? Then again, not like you'll have a choice when the two of you link anyways." No wonder he was so open with her. In the end he was only telling her all this because he knew it would come back to Jaune in the end anyways.

"I just… I need to know one thing." She gripped her hands together tightly. This whole conversation had gone exactly to his tune. She honestly should've known it was going to play out this way. It always did whenever they talked. If she was going to be played right into his game though, she wanted to come out with at least something.

"And what would that be?" He asked in that voice, absolutely dripping with sarcasm. He already knew what she was going to ask. But he was going to make her say it out loud anyways.

"Does Winter… does my sister know about what's going on here?" The moment those words left her mouth, and Shirou's face unexpectedly softened. If anything, it looked like he was giving her pity now.

"If she did, do you honestly believe she would have let you come anywhere near this place?"

That was all the confirmation she needed, and she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. His pity now also made sense. In fact, she knew now that it wasn't pity at all, but empathy. Her father, his brother… he had deemed the two of them as expendable. They had no way of knowing if the Omega would just one day randomly wake up. Any day out here could be their last, and it seemed like he didn't care at all.

That was possibly the part of this she hated the most.

* * *

Ruby zipped around the cafeteria, adjusting banners and assuring sure balloons were properly inflated. Everything had to be absolutely perfect. Nothing could ruin this for her.

"Slow down for a minute there, Zippy." Sun called with a loud laugh as he and Neptune strolled over to the little section of the cafeteria she had spent the better part of an hour decorating. "Why don't you let us give you a hand? Take a breath."

"...Do you… do you think Jaune is going to like it?" Ruby fiddled nervously with the hem of her cloak as she looked at the result of all her hard work. Bright table cloths were haphazardly thrown over half a dozen tables, all sorts of sweets and pops lined atop them. Streamers were scattered everywhere and the whole thing was fenced off by banners she had designed herself.

"Yeah, the yellow is a nice touch." Sun tapped one of the table clothes she had placed out. "How much GKP did all this cost you?"

"That's not important." Ruby waved it off, but flinched on the inside. It was no secret that she had been running kind of low lately. Jaune was injured and Blake wouldn't head out with them. Fortunately, Yang and her team had been more than accommodating in allowing them to hunt with them. That meant the points were split an extra two ways than normal though, which was also affecting how much they earned.

"...You might want to do something about this sign." Neptune pointed at one of the banners she had stretched between a couple of the tables.

"Dude, she's freaking out. Don't make it worse." Sun shoved his partner roughly in the shoulder, as Ruby agonizingly glanced over the banner, trying to find out just what was wrong with it.

"I'm just saying, this is supposed to be a party celebrating Jaune's recovery, right? So why does the banner say 'Get well soon' if he's technically already well?" Ah crap. Ruby knew it. She had messed up. Who the heck puts 'Get well soon' on a recovery-party banner?

"I'm a horrible person!" She suddenly shouted. "We gotta fix this! I'll get some more paint. I'll cross it off… no, I'll turn it around and write on the other side."

"He'll still see it either way, you know?"

"Dude!" Sun continued to glare at his partner as he placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Don't listen to this idiot… he's lame. I think it looks great. Jaune'll probably like it even more. It just screams… you." He gestured at it lamely.

"I just want it to be perfect." Ruby mumbled as she racked her brain for another solution. She didn't know how much time she had, but probably not enough to make a whole new banner.

"We all make mistakes. Knowing Jaune, he'll wind up back in the infirmary next week anyways and we can have another party when he gets better from that one. Even if not… we got nearly another two years here." That was just it though… Jaune didn't have that long anymore. Sun didn't know that. No one other than she did.

She had to make this count while she could.

"This...looks...stupendous!" Ruby gave a small yelp as Penny wrapped her in a strong hug and lifted her into the air. "I am sure Jaune will appreciate this most definitely."

"Finally, someone with something positive to say." Sun threw his hands in the air.

"Is someone saying negative stuff about all my sister's hard work?" Yang was strolling up with her team, cracking her knuckles and looking every person directly in the eye.

"Nope! It's perfect. Not a piece outta place." Neptune stood ramrod straight and began inching slowly around the other side of a table.

"Oh! Ren, there's punch." Nora dashed around as she checked out all the sweets and pops Ruby had set out. Her partner only followed silently behind her, probably already mentally preparing for a sugar-crazed Nora.

"Where's the rest of your team?" Pyrrha stopped just next to Ruby as Penny finally set her back down.

That was actually a good question. She hadn't seen Blake yet, but Weiss had been here not long ago before saying she had something to do. She was really hoping they would both show up soon. This was also supposed to try and be a reconciliation party for all of them. That would be kind of pointless without them all here.

Before she could answer Pyrrha's question, a hand gently ruffled the top of her head and she whirled around in surprise to see Jaune standing right there. "Good job, Ruby. Knew I could count on you while I was out."

He smiled brightly at her for just a second before she lunged into him so hard he gave a gasp as the wind was knocked out of him. "Welcome back, Jaune!" She squeezed as tightly as possible and snuggled her face into his chest.

"Geez, you act like I nearly just died or something… oh wait." She couldn't help but give a small smile and lightly punched him in the chest as she pulled back. It was only as she did that she noticed the other person just behind him.

"Blake…" So the two of them actually made up? They must have. There was no other way they would be standing so close to one another right now if they hadn't. In fact, this was the closest she had seen Blake get to anyone this past week. And the look on her face certainly seemed… remorseful, or maybe ashamed?

"Ruby. We should talk." The older girl awkwardly rubbed her arm as she took a hesitant step forward.

Ruby quickly shook her head, cutting off anything further Blake could say. "Let's talk later. This is a party!" She wrapped an arm around Jaune and began to pull him forward.

"H-hey!" Jaune stumbled as she dragged him closer to the others. He leaned near her ear before hurriedly whispering. "You should at least hear out what she has to say."

"Later." Ruby repeated. It wasn't that she was holding a grudge against Blake. She knew the main point she likely wanted was just to apologize. But with that apology came so much more than that. There were so many things they had to talk about. And she didn't want to worry about any of that right now.

The only thing she wanted right now was to make sure Jaune had fun.

* * *

Blake shuffled awkwardly on her seat as she silently watched everyone Ruby had invited to her party intermingle with one another. There was a surprising number of people present. Some of them whose names she didn't even know.

Yang's team made sense as they were the only other team from Beacon. And it went without saying that Sun and his whole team would drop by. Outside of just them though, there was even a couple teams from Shade who she had never personally conversed with. Along with a couple others from Haven.

"Jaune's gotten pretty popular, huh?" Sun put her exact thoughts into words as he plopped down in the seat next to her, placing a cup of punch on the table.

"You can say that again." She brushed some of the random confetti out of the way before picking up the cup a taking a sip. The whole little area Ruby had roped off was covered in the stuff, like she just ran around tossing it in the air to spread it out as much as possible, which knowing her was entirely possible.

"Oh, so you actually are talking to people again." To her chagrin, he gave a playful wink as he hefted his own cup to his lips using his tail.

As much as she hated to admit it though, he wasn't wrong in saying that. It was much more than just her team that she had been ignoring over the past week. She had cut herself away from everyone. "...I'm sorry about the way I treated you. And everyone else."

"Well, it's not like your treatment of me exactly changed. You've been pretty dead-set on ignoring my very existence since the beginning." And yet he still kept trying to talk to her. She didn't know if his persistence was admirable or just plain retarded.

"So what is with all the people?" Blake gestured vaguely to the crowd in front of them. She did have Jaune's memories bouncing around inside of her now. Even so, she really understood now how little that actually meant. There had been so much information absorbed at once, most of it was mashed together and insensible, and what wasn't seemed faded, probably just slowly wilting away with the passage of time.

She could vaguely recall instances where he talked to some of these people, but most of the time the interactions had seemed meaningless. Certainly not enough for them to come to this get-together, unless of course they were just trying to get in on the free food. That made sense to her.

"I wasn't joking around. Jaune's a popular guy. Didn't you know?" Blake quirked an eyebrow curiously. She supposed there was the fact that for some reason everyone still hadn't found out Jaune wasn't actually as skilled as they thought he was. It was nothing short of a miracle he had been able to keep up that facade. Not that he was doing it on purpose. "Hell, I'm pretty sure if everyone didn't think he was dating Penny he would be getting asked out by several ladies." Sun chose the exact moment she was taking another drink to say this. She gave a small choked cough as the liquid went down the wrong tube and spit it all over the table.

"Whoa, you okay there?" Sun jumped up in surprise before fumbling for some napkins to wipe down the yellow table cloth.

"I'm fine." Blake cleared her throat and gave her chest a small pat to make sure she'd gotten it all out. "It's nothing."

Sun rolled his eyes as he slid back into his chair. "I know you don't think as highly of him as the rest of us do-" That wasn't true. Blake did think highly of Jaune. She wouldn't have gotten so frustrated with him if she didn't. "-But both times I've fought by his side, it was incredible. It's like he has no fear. He just charges right in and somehow, everything just seems to work out for him."

Blake had to give a small snort. Jaune? Having no fear? He was constantly horrified. He was also just too much of an idiot to know when it was better to run away from the danger and not right towards it.

"All I'm saying is, it's good to see the two of you talking again." Sun turned to look at Jaune and Blake followed his gaze. Ruby had hopped up on his shoulders and the two were making some ridiculous pose while Yang took a picture of them. Many of the others were gather around laughing. "Ruby's a good kid, and it was tearing her up inside that you two weren't."

"Why do you care so much?" Blake asked with an exhausted sigh. If she was being honest, before just now she thought the only reason Sun talked to her at all was because he was interested when really he had no basis to be.

"Because I'm their friend. And we did kind of almost die together." Those words were unexpected, especially because she could understand them so well. "We fought the scariest Grimm I have ever laid eyes on, while riding on the back of another Grimm. And I had to trust them enough in that battle to have my back. If you don't care for someone after an experience like that… I don't even know what kind of person you are."

It was weird that Blake could picture the exact scene he was talking about, despite having not been there personally. That was one of Jaune's much more vivid memories for sure. Along with their experiences together during Beacon's Initiation.

"Be nice if we could fight together like that one day." Sun turned back to her and gave a toothy smile.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead gave him a small smile back. "One day." It was bad to say, but outside of the two teams at Beacon, she had never even tried to form a bond with the others, despite having been here nearly a month and a half. That was partially what led to her cutting herself off from everyone in the first place.

Without her team, she really didn't have anyone else to confide in. At least that was what she told herself. There had always been others willing to listen to her though, it was too bad she was only just now realising that.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" The cold tone of Weiss came from directly behind them and Blake winced internally.

"Actually, a little. I think she's finally opening up to me." Sun appeared completely oblivious though as Weiss fixed him with an even stare. "Although, I'm not actually sure either. She's still not saying a lot. Her words seem kind of more positive? Maybe? Am I right?"

"Let's talk more later, Sun." Or else Weiss might really slap him.

He positively beamed as she said that though. "You got it!" He bounced to his feet with perhaps a little more cheer than she was comfortable with and ran over to where his team was. She really hoped she hadn't just given him the wrong idea, although it was his own fault if he took her words to mean more than they had.

"Jaune showed you too?" Weiss took the spot Sun had just left and pointed the stare she had once been giving him in her direction.

"He did." Blake affirmed quietly, glancing around to make sure no one else was taking unneeded interest in their conversation.

"And?" Weiss asked that question like it was supposed to have some kind of simple answer. There was just too many different things to talk about, Blake didn't even know which one of them she was supposed to start with. An apology was probably as good as anything though.

"I'm sor-"

"No, no no. Hold it right there." Weiss held a hand up as she cut Blake off. "You don't get to say anything like that to me right now."

"Excuse me?" Blake narrowed her eyes angrily. This was getting to be too much. First Ruby wouldn't so much as hear her out, but now Weiss was going to do the same? This whole time and everyone had been waiting for an apology, but now that she was trying to give one, they didn't even want it?

"I'm not interested in any kind of apology from you, at the present. We've got much more pressing issues on our hands right now." As if she didn't already know that.

"It's not like we can talk about them right now." Blake nodded with her chin towards all the other students around them, albeit most of them were too busy to be paying any attention to the two of them.

"...I suppose you're right about that." Weiss placed an elbow on the table and rested her chin on an open palm. "Leave it to Ruby to throw a party now of all times."

"She _has_ had a week longer to sit on this than us." At least she wasn't the only one that found this whole thing to be ridiculous. Why did Ruby even want to do something like this? They weren't anywhere near out of the woods, nor were they any closer to figuring their way out of this whole dilemma.

"I suddenly envy everyone else and their ignorance." Weiss was staring intently at Sun and Neptune as they laughed loudly together.

"We could just tell them all. Not like your uncle could kill every single one of us." Sad thing is, she was only half-joking when she said that. It would be so much easier to just tell everyone else about the Omega. Hiding it just felt cruel, but perhaps it would be even more so to let them know about how hopeless this whole situation really was.

Weiss give a breathless laugh. "Now there's an idea. Almost be worth it just to see their reactions." Well she certainly sounded bitter about this whole thing.

Now that Blake thought about it… "Where were you before now?"

Weiss glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "I went to see my uncle." She what!? "He's… come up with another game for those of us that do know." Just great. Blake almost didn't want to hear what he had in store for them this time. "I'll tell you about it later."

Blake nodded dully. "I can't wait."

The two of them lapsed into a natural silence as they just watched everyone else laugh and talk amongst one another, eating and drinking to their hearts content using Ruby's hard-earned points. Weiss was right, she really envied their ignorance right now.

She was at least glad though that she didn't have to know the truth all by herself. Even if there was still a long ways to go before they all came together again, she would take this silent acknowledgment that they were in the same position. Kind of funny that it was Weiss Schnee of all people caught out here on the side lines with her. And it didn't bother her at all that the one she shared this with was someone she once used to resent.

She just supposed it went to show, misery loved company.

* * *

 **AN:** Talking, talking, and more talking. Yet I feel like I got almost nowhere story wise. A little bit of exposition by Shirou, but otherwise I don't really feel like the conversations took the others anywhere. I guess maybe that was kind of the point? The wound between them all is still kind of fresh, and there's a lot they need to figure out. But I don't know, this chapter just felt really pointless to me.

* * *

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

 **Auburn**

 _Sleepless_

* * *

"I really think you should call it a night." Jaune ignored Charlotte's worried tone as he pushed himself off the ground, nearly collapsing forward from a movement so simple.

Sweat streamed down his face and dampened his shirt. Crocea Mors remained sheathed on his back, the artefact hanging off a simple string he had strapped over his shoulder. Looming behind him was the metallic tower of Lambent, the floodlights attached to its exterior hull being the only true illumination he had, considering how little the stars gave.

Extending beyond that light was the writhing darkness and horrible creatures of Grimm it masked. He couldn't see how many of them were out there, but the myriad sounds told him it was beyond count. Systematically, he strolled towards that darkness, only a slight hitch in his step, caused by a now healing Beowulf bite to the calf.

"Hey! You listening to me?" Charlotte appeared right in his face, bright blue eyes glaring angrily now.

"I can keep going." It was only… midnight. He affirmed this with a quick glance at his scroll. "I slept plenty this past week." After all, he had been unconscious for almost all of it. And it wasn't like he had a bed to return to. After his temper tantrum in his room, he didn't have much of anything left that was usable. Turns out too, mattresses cost a lot of GKP. Who knew?

"Listen, I'm thrilled that you want to learn how to use Aurora. I really am. But this… it's going overboard." She gestured vaguely behind him, although he didn't have to turn to see what she was referring to. At least two dozen, probably more, decomposing Grimm corpses were scattered all over the illuminated ground.

He could smell the thick blood that had pooled over the area, his Aurora cruelly, efficiently tearing the Grimm limb from limb and tossing the pieces everywhere. It was terrifying in a way, and uncomfortable to watch.

"I don't have time to take it easy. You saw what Shirou wants from me, right? He expects me to go out there and kill those… things." The Prime Evil. His whole team was going to get dragged into that mess, and he was still embarrassingly behind them in terms of strength.

At least, he had been. Now he had this power. A power he barely knew anything about; let alone how to use. Right now it just did as it wanted, acting vaguely on his will but otherwise completely dictated by its own desires. And its desires usually left a trail of organs.

"Aurora doesn't work the way you think it does, Jaune. It's not something you just become friends with or train like a pet. It's… a parasite. It lives inside you, and its only aim is to stay alive. This means it'll do whatever it takes to keep you, the host, alive." That was funny. If this thing didn't want to die, then why was it slowly killing him?

"You said, Aurora… eats my memories." Or it was something like that. All he knew was that because of it, he was losing them. "Why does it do that? And can't I just feed it someone else's memories? After all, I've got three other lifetimes worth inside my head."

Charlotte made a complicated expression and twirled her blonde hair, a tick he started to notice she would do whenever considering what to say. "Saying that it eats your memories… is a fairly accurate way to put it. I'm not sure why it does that. I always assumed that it was because it somehow lived off them." That explained why she referred to it as a parasite.

"And my idea?" If there was a way to feed it other memories, didn't that solve this whole crisis?

"If the answer was something so obvious, do you think I would've ended up where I did?" Well, she had a point there.

"Somehow getting the Aurora to leave isn't an option either?" Not that he could afford to part with the power now of all times. Maybe once he could find a way out of the Badlands that would be something worth looking into.

"Like it or not Jaune, this is your Semblance." According to her, this was the true manifestation of his Semblance too. Linking to others, the memory transfer, those were just side effects gained in order for him to link to Aurora.

He looked down at his forearm, where on either side there were two long scars from when Crocea Mors had stabbed him right through. Ordinarily these should have healed, and no trace should've been left of there ever being a wound. Instead, they were now the opening from which he could release Aurora.

Both scars began to wiggle and convulse before a thin line of blood dribbled out and ran down his arm. From the open cuts, a multi-colored light leaked out, illuminating the area around him. Green, red, and purple flowed out from the wound, shimmering and dancing in place, almost like ribbons in the wind as he stared at the power.

A low guttural growl echoed just outside of his field of view. Inside the darkness, he could see a multitude of red eyes glaring back at him. The Aurora bent and twisted around his arm, forming a crisscrossing pattern that ended at his hand before forming two long claws.

He gave a short practice swing with the claws. They didn't bend or teeter, having somehow become rigid and straight despite only a moment ago lacking any sort of defined shape. He stepped towards the darkness, the glowing weapon illuminating the snout of a Beowulf.

"Jaune!" Charlotte's scolding call came too late. The Beowulf leapt at him, lashing with its gangly arms and grotesque claws. He held the Aurora claw up almost lazily, and as the two met, his weapon gouged through the dark flesh like it was butter.

The Beowulf let out a terrible scream as it attempted to pull back its mangled arm, only succeeding in lopping it off altogether in its haste. The torn appendage hit the ground with a wet slop and blood splattered across Jaune's shoes and ankles. As the Grimm staggered and whimpered he stepped towards it, giving a simple thrust aimed at its head.

With a squelch that once would've made him sick to hear he ended the Beowulf's life. "Jaune!" He continued to ignore her yells as three more Beowolves leapt into sight. He crouched low in a duck and all three of them flew over his head, having leapt at him with claws extended. With a small twirl and flick of the arm, six pairs of legs were sent scattering in several directions.

As the Beowolves slammed into the ground and rolled, he stood straight, prepared to finish the downed Grimm. The shift from crouching to standing caused his vision to flash black and he felt a wave of lightheadedness batter his senses and stagger him. "I've been trying to tell you! You're using too much Aurora again. Do you want to bleed out? It's like you never learn."

"I'm fine." He gave his head a small shake, blonde bangs flicking overtop his vision.

"Good. Cause there's a King Taijitu behind you." Ah damn.

He spun around, flailing wildly in hopes of striking the snake Grimm before it got to him. Before the white snakehead got even close, a glowing white glyph formed vertically between him and it. The Grimm smacked into the spinning glyph with a dull thud, ice sprouting from the contact and encasing its head.

The first half of the King Taijitu collapsed, unable to bear the heavy weight of the ice that was now its prison. The second half exploded after a bolt of lightning whizzed over Jaune's shoulder, causing him to yelp and hair to stand on end as his whole body tingled with static shock.

"By the way, Weiss is here." Thank you, Charlotte. He hadn't noticed.

Stifling a grimace he turned around to face his teammate. His poor attempt at a fake smile became even more so as he watched her quite literally begin burning the legless Beowolves alive with three heated glyphs. All while she was in her pyjamas, slippers, and hair pulled down.

The screaming yelps of pain from the Beowolves was the only sound between them for several agonizing seconds as tired blue eyes met angry ones. If it was even possible, as the screams of the Grimm died down, the silence between them only became more awkward.

"So… nice night?" As if to contradict him, some Grimm howled in the distance. Weiss continued to glare, lips locked tight as she cast her silent judgement upon him. "...I'm sorry?" He had no idea what she wanted him to say in this situation. What was she even doing out here?

"You're sorry?" Weiss placed a hand on her hip, eyes widening incredulously. "You sure don't look sorry; grinning at me like a madman while covered in blood." He looked down at himself, red liquid splattered all over his shirt and shorts, most of it gradually turning into smoke. The only bit that was his own blood was still running down his arm.

The Aurora claw shrunk, the crisscrossing pattern on his arm receding back into the two open wounds that then glowed bright white for a second before sealing. Once done, he flexed his hand open and closed, watching the scars contort as the muscles beneath shifted with the motion.

An audible sigh from Weiss got his attention as all the tension in her body drained out, being replaced by what just looked like exhaustion. "Is this your solution to our problems? Just come out here and get yourself killed?"

"I'm just training… and getting GKP. I also kind of don't have a bed anymore." Which was still entirely his fault.

Weiss looked to be fighting internally with herself for several seconds before nodding back towards the tower. "You… can stay with me, tonight."

"..."

"...What?" He was pretty sure he heard that wrong.

"Just shut up and come on!" Weiss stamped her foot on the ground, an effect that kind of lost its edge while in her slippers. "And you better shower and change clothes before you even think about setting foot in my room." Instead of waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and began to march back towards Lambent.

This felt kind of like a trap to him. Weiss had been furious to find out he stayed overnight in Blake's room that one night. Still, if he refused to follow after she would be just as mad.

Damned if he did, damned if he didn't.

With a reluctant sigh, he started after her, deciding it would be less dangerous to deal with her angry in the safety of Lambent's walls, and not get pincered by her and the Grimm.

Besides, he could really use that shower.

* * *

The feeling of said shower felt better than he could've imagined.

It felt like it had been forever since he felt the nice warm stream of a shower as it washed away everything. Not just dirt and grime, but fatigue as well. The heat dulled his senses and addled his mind, yet in the far back he couldn't help but feel like he was forgetting something important.

Or maybe it was someone?

"Oh… so this is the male anatomy."

"Why!?" He gave a feminine yell, full of indignity, jumping nearly a foot in the air from the unexpected voice coming that came from directly beneath him. "Charlotte!" He covered his modest parts, glaring at the still-armored girl who had been crouched in front of him, eyes at waist-level.

"That was a bit of an overreaction, don't you think?" Despite being crouched right in the stream of water, she didn't get the least bit wet as it phased right through her and rained on the tiled floor.

"No. No, I do not." He continued to hold both hands over his crotch, face no longer red from just the heat of the water. Seriously, this was ridiculous. Couldn't he even shower in peace anymore?

"You're the one who wanted to see me again so badly you ran into near-guaranteed death. Not having second thoughts now, are you?" She grinned coyly, blue eyes tilting up to meet his. He wasn't sure what expression they held, but whatever it was, it made him uncomfortable.

"I just didn't think meeting you again would make your presence this… permanent." He inched forward, stepping his legs back into the water. To his growing discomfort, she made no move to put further space between them.

"You expected me to just be there at your beck and call whenever you wanted? But to disappear whenever you didn't?" Well sure it sounded bad when she put it that way. It wasn't like he had an exact image in his head of how this was supposed to play out. He had just been desperate for answers. Not that the answers he got exactly made him feel any better.

"You know that's not what I meant. I would appreciate some… personal space." At the very least would it kill her to stand up?

"Why? Most guys would be kind of envious of this situation, you know?" It was hard to deny that she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met, and she didn't exactly look very dead, or even undead for that matter. Just a normal girl together in the shower with him.

She said before that they were nearly the same person, just born in different times and with a different gender. Didn't that mean being attracted to her was like being attracted to himself? Did it even work that way? Or maybe it was more like they were siblings. Siblings born over a thousand years apart. Of course, he used to take baths with his sisters all the time when they were younger. Maybe this was the same concept? Only he wasn't little anymore, and she wasn't really his sister.

Charlotte gave a small giggle as she finally stood up and stepped away from him. "I'm just giving you a hard time. Possibly figuratively and literally." The more this girl talked lately, and the more she shattered the image of some wise prophet he originally had of her in his mind. Although the more he thought about it, maybe that was how he should always have seen her. Just a normal girl…

"Did you love anyone when you were alive?" This was probably an awkward time to pick asking such a random question. He couldn't help but be curious.

A small flurry of emotions crossed Charlotte's face, before landing on trepidation. "...I suppose you could say so. At the very least, I thought I was in love, once."

"Thought you were in love?" He always kind of thought love was just something you knew you were in or not. Then again, it wasn't like he exactly had much experience. Before he knew it, he was in love with Blake.

"You… and me too, before I died; we throw around the word 'love' like the concept of it is simple. But it's not. It's a messy, complicated feeling that really doesn't have a nice, concrete definition." She finally stood up to her full height, which was still only up to about his chest, and began to pace slowly around him. Once again he was struck by the lack of noise her metal boots made as they met with the tiled floor. "Can you even really say what you feel towards Blake is love?"

"I can," He answered without hesitation, not even for a second willing to doubt the feelings of his own heart. If he couldn't trust even that, there wasn't exactly much left for him anymore.

"As Arc Link whittles away at your memories… those of Blake will be the last to go. She is the one that unlocked your Aura, after all. So you could actually say, the further along your Semblance progresses, the more Blake becomes the only person you really know anymore." Charlotte stopped behind him, just outside of his field of vision, yet he dared not turn around to look at her.

"Even after you've forgotten your mother, father, sisters, friends, even your lover. Blake will still be there. So you tell me, Jaune: Is that really what you call love? Or is that just your brain confusing love and dependence?" The bitterness in her voice unnerved him, actually caused him to doubt. He had been so sure that his feelings for Blake were genuine.

But when was it that he came to that realisation? When did he decide that he loved Blake? It had been during that dream, hadn't it? Right, when he first began to lose things, when Blake had become the most stable concept he had to hold onto. "That's not…" The words he wanted to say wouldn't come out.

"Food for thought, Jaune." Her voice was right behind him now, just over his left shoulder. "It's something I had to come to terms with too, once."

"When you say 'come to terms,' what exactly are you trying to say you figured out?" His treacherous mouth asked the question he wasn't even sure he wanted an answer to.

"The most important thing I realised, is that the last person you should trust… is yourself. Now finish your shower already." He turned his head and Charlotte was gone. Where exactly did she go when not within his line of sight? She was linked to his consciousness so it was impossible for her to go far. He supposed he could always just ask later, and for now just be grateful that he could shower without her staring. Not that he was able to even enjoy it anymore after those cryptic words.

He wasn't sure how much longer he stood in the shower before finally hitting the dial. The whole time trying to keep his mind blank, refusing to let the creeping doubt worm its way to the front. Instead, he focused completely on the menial tasks of drying himself off and getting dressed for bed, before heading to the exit.

"How long does it take you to get ready?" The very first thing to greet his sight as he stepped out of the male bathroom was a still irritated Weiss, complete with crossed arms and tapping foot.

"You… waited out here for me the whole time?" This was starting to weird him out. Had Weiss always been this… what did he even call this?

"Forgive me if I'm not the readiest to accept you're not going to try and sneak out there again. I swear you're like a child, always needing someone to babysit you to make sure you don't do something crazy." Well, it wasn't like she was entirely wrong. Ever since he got here it had become an unfortunate habit for him to sneak out at night and walk around. He blamed Ozpin for that.

"And you're serious? About me staying in your room?" He was still pretty sure this was some kind of trap. There was just no way Weiss, the prim and proper Heiress was okay with letting a guy sleep in her room. Even more so since there wouldn't be anyone else.

"I wouldn't have said so if I felt otherwise." She could at least try not to look absolutely disgusted as she said that. "It's not like I'm happy about it either, but you've proven too incompetent to be left to your own devices." He internally winced but didn't have any words to offer in defense.

"...Alright then." He relented with a tired sigh and started towards the hallway.

Weiss looked surprised for just a moment before starting next to him. "So long as you understand. And if you even think of trying anything-"

"I won't." He defended, perhaps a little too quickly. Her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, but she didn't add anything further as they walked down the hallway. With a small wave of her scroll, the door slid open and they walked inside. Despite being the first time he ever set foot in the room, it was immediately familiar to him.

"I'll… just take the floor then." He sat down on the narrow walking space between the bed and the desk. Weiss only gave a small nod as she tossed him down a spare pillow and a thin sheet to use. It wasn't much, but it was better than the torn up stuff in his room so he couldn't complain. As he wrapped himself in the sheet and lay down against the pillow, she gave a small flick of the scroll and the lights went off, casting the two of them into darkness.

He could hear the blankets on the bed shuffle as she slid under it and her head plopped against the pillow. Several uncomfortable minutes of silence followed as he wrestled with whether or not he should say anything, or if it would be wiser to just stay quiet. He couldn't help but feel that Weiss had come and found him because she wanted to talk. He would just be damned if he knew how to broach any kind of topic.

"Are you really going to go along with Uncle's plan to hunt the Prime Evil?" The silence must have been uncomfortable for her too, as she broke it.

He nodded before remembering that she couldn't see in the dark, unlike Blake. "It's the best option for us. Which is why I need to get stronger."

"Is it really, though?" The frustration was evident in her voice. "Why should we have to listen to my Uncle? Or my father for that matter? I think… Blake may be right. We should just tell Ozpin. Uncle won't kill me. So long as you all stick with me, I can protect you." She was right. It would be so much easier to just tell Ozpin. This whole thing could be put behind him if he would just bow out now, pass the torch onto those of more capable hands. It would be like three fewer things to worry about if he did that.

Yet that wasn't the way he wanted to handle this. "I can convince Shirou that telling Ozpin is the right thing. We don't need to make anyone our enemy." If it was possible, he wanted them all to cooperate together. "You know what will happen to your family's reputation, right? If the public finds out that your dad unearthed this thing?"

"I don't care anymore." She practically spit. "He hid this from me… didn't even blink when I told him I had been selected to attend Lambent. He… _congratulated_ me with a smile. I had been so happy, thinking he had actually been proud. I was such an idiot. I should've known something was wrong… I-" Her voice cut off and he could hear the occasional erratic breath. He could almost feel the wretched disgust welling up inside her.

"You weren't an idiot, Weiss." Those words were barely a whisper. "You… respected your dad. And because of that, you just didn't feel like he could betray you... I know what that feels like." At one point, he had nothing but respect for his father too. That was why it hurt so much when he had changed.

"I don't need your empathy." He heard the bed shift as Weiss sat up and leaned over the edge. His eyes had adjusted enough now that he could barely make out her blue eyes as they glared down at him. "You… why are you going to such lengths to defend my uncle? He's done nothing to warrant the respect or courtesy you're giving him."

He was really starting to get tired of being asked that question. It seemed like no matter how many times he said it, people just couldn't believe that he had actually come to see Shirou as a friend. Someone that was pitted in the exact same situation they were, in over his head, yet refusing to back down and run away from it. All because he wanted to be of value to someone dear to him. "I thought you of all people would understand why I want Shirou on our side."

Weiss' face contorted, but it was impossible to tell what kind of expression she was making with so little light. "It's not like… I want to turn Uncle against me. For all of his faults, he isn't an evil person. I know that. But right now this whole thing is just so frustrating. Why is this happening to us? Why was it my family that had to get involved in this?"

Jaune gave a breathless laugh. "I wish I knew the answer to that." This whole thing seemed like some kind of karmic justice out to get them. He didn't dare say that aloud, knowing Weiss wouldn't appreciate the humor in such words.

The heiress gave a loud sigh, and he could've sworn the look she was giving him softened. "You really, truly want to do this Uncle's way? There's no guarantee that even if we do survive and kill another Prime Evil, he'll relent and betray Father. It's just a gamble."

"We can cross that bridge when we get to it." He didn't want to think about all the what-ifs right now. There was enough to worry about in the present without having to consider the future. For now, they still had to have that team vote to even decide whether they would actually do this. He had been sure Weiss would want to side with Shirou as they were family, but now he was less sure.

He didn't even know what Ruby would say anymore. Ordinarily, he would assume she would be willing to support him no matter what it was he wanted to do, but she also knew about his ticking clock, and that might be enough to sway her away from putting him in a situation where he's going to need to use Aurora.

Blake… well, it was no mystery where she stood in all this. It said a lot that she hadn't already sent Ozpin a message. It meant to him, that at the very least she was trying to forgive him and understand the situation he had landed them all in.

"If Shirou's idea works… we might be able to have a way to put the end to the Grimm forever." He started up slowly, still trying to form the words to convince her. "If there are no Grimm then the Omega won't ever wake up. No one would even care that your dad dug it up."

"Uncle's idea doesn't need to involve us going after them either. It could be anyone. He's making us go after them because he knows you'll listen." She snapped, leaning a little closer, strands of white hair spilling over her shoulders and hanging so low they nearly tickled his nose.

"I don't think that's true." If Shirou truly believed there wasn't a chance they could survive this, he wouldn't make them do it. To him, this was all a game, and games were only fun if they were fair. At least, that was the assumption he assumed Shirou was operating under. "I think he wants it to be us because he trusts us. Who else can he send out to do this?" It wasn't like Shirou exactly had a close network of friends. At least not that he knew of.

"That's flimsy reasoning at best, and I think you know it." She wasn't the least bit swayed, not that it was much of a surprise. He was really starting to think that nothing he could say would be able to change her mind. It wasn't like his reasoning was for the greater good. It was just for his own selfish beliefs. How could he honestly expect them to want to follow him for those?

"I know this how sounds crazy. Honestly, this whole situation scares the crap out of me. I mean, we really might die if this doesn't work." He gave a shaky breath, brief images of so many times he almost died already floating to the surface.

"...If you're so afraid of dying, why are you even doing this?" Even though she had seen his memories, he supposed it still wouldn't make much sense to anyone but himself. The answer had always been really simple, though.

"Because there's something I fear more than death." He just didn't want to end up the same way his father had. Broken and full of regrets, and he had a feeling that if he gave up here, then that type of life wouldn't be far behind.

Weiss gave a dramatic sigh as she finally laid back down on her own pillow. "You're messed up in the head, you know that?" Well, he certainly couldn't deny it. "But… okay. I suppose that's fine. If this is really what you want to do, then I guess that's the way I'll cast my vote."

"I'm… not sure I understand." It felt like he said those words a lot since he started training to become a Hunter.

"I agreed back then, didn't I? Back in Ozpin's office. I agreed to be your second-in-command." He racked his brain but failed to recall such a conversation occurring. He remembered Ozpin roping him into espionage, but not much else. "It would look really bad if I stood against you now." Weiss took his silence as an opportunity to continue, not understanding his confusion. "Although as things stand, Blake may actually agree to let me be the leader now." She gave a small laugh.

"I won't do that, though. Because… right now I want to trust that you know what you're doing." He heard a tired yawn escape her lips and voice starting to drift off. "You've surprised us all before, after all."

"...Yeah." He waited several minutes, but she didn't say anything else and instead the gentle sound of her breathing in sleep took the place of the silence. He only wished sleep would come so easily for him.

* * *

 **AN:** Another mostly just talking chapter.

I really wanted to have a chapter where Jaune and Weiss get to talk since I kind of shafted her by skipping the memory link scene. Threw in some fun with Charlotte along the way, but otherwise, the focus was supposed to be them. I had also wanted to talk at some point about Shirou's Semblance since they've now dropped that hereditary Semblance deal, but that'll have to be at a later time as there wasn't an opportunity I felt it was appropriate to bring up.

* * *

Beta: Coeur Al'Aran

 **Auburn**

 _Imaginary_

* * *

"Why am I here again?" Jaune didn't like being in this room. Even less so because the cryptic Professor Yen refused to explain anything when she called him here.

The short woman had left abruptly upon showing him into the room to go gather "supplies." Supplies for what, he was afraid to ask, not that he wouldn't find out in a few short minutes anyways.

"Beats me. I can't see her at all in the hallway. I wonder where she went?" Charlotte's head phased through the door once again, checking outside the room for him.

"You know that might be a pretty handy trick we can use the next time I'm in a pinch." Having her see things for him and relay what was coming around a corner would be incredibly helpful, and he was looking to take any kind of advantage he could get.

"I kind of expected the one who keeps up on Penny's maintenance to have more cool gizmos and gadgets in her office." And Charlotte ignored his words completely, instead poking her nose around the rather empty office space he was stuck in. Honestly, this room reminded him more of a family physician's office rather than that of a crazy robot doctor. "This is all rather boring."

"I'm actually kind of relieved it isn't like that." Having all kinds of unidentifiable objects with questionable purposes would've only made him more stressed about being in this room than he already was.

"Who exactly-" Jaune gave a small start as the door clicked open, the short faunus stepping inside the room. "-are you talking to?" She was looking at him strangely, like he had grown a second head.

"Just mumbling to myself." He quickly lied, not even sure why he bothered. He sent Charlotte a sharp glare, almost as if to ask how Yen had been close enough to hear him yet she hadn't been capable of seeing her.

"My bad? I forgot how short she is." Charlotte shrugged unapologetically at his unasked questions. He was seriously starting to wonder whether she was naturally airheaded, or if this was on purpose.

"Mumbling to yourself, huh?" Yen's tone conveyed every drop of doubt she had in his statement. She pulled up a tall stool in front of Jaune before hopping up into it. Watching her was almost comical, little legs dangling over the ledge of the stool as she straightened herself out, still failing to sit eye-level with him. "Penny's told me all about this imaginary girl you think you can see." Damnit, Penny.

"I'm not crazy." Was that what this was? Did they think he needed to see a shrink?

"I'm not interested in discerning your mental health, Jaune." Yet another teacher who seemed fond of being on a first-name basis. "That's hardly my field of expertise. Rather, I'm much more interested in if this girl actually is from the past. Do you have any kind of idea the wealth of knowledge she may possess? Knowledge of things we have long forgotten?"

"You mean like the Prime Evil?" Now that he thought about it, they still would have had no idea what that thing was if not for Charlotte.

"Exactly like that." Yen appeared pleased that he was catching on so quickly. It wasn't very often he was quick on the uptake, after all. Especially lately it seemed. "So what do you say?"

"Denied." Before he could even open his mouth, Charlotte appeared in front of his face, arms crossed to form a big X and wearing a serious pout.

"I-I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked: So-"

"I wasn't talking to you, sorry." He cut Yen off, having to lean around Charlotte just to look at the faunus. She blinked several times, looking slightly perturbed before shrugging it off.

"I don't want this so called _doctor_ trying to cross-examine my mind." Charlotte's arms shifted, placing both hands on her hips and taking a firm stance. "And to talk to me, you would have to link to her, remember? Just because you're self-destructive, doesn't mean any of your teammates would approve of that."

Well, she made a pretty good point about that. "Alright already, sheesh." It wasn't like she had to get so defensive about it either. If she didn't like doctors she just had to say so. It wasn't like he was fond of them himself.

Charlotte stepped to the side, revealing Yen who was pointing at herself questioningly. "Was that directed at me or the imaginary girl?"

"She's not imaginary!" He retorted without missing a beat. If this kept up the whole school was going to think he was a nutjob. Then again, they already thought he was several things he wasn't. Such as a competent student and Penny's boyfriend. "Anyways, I'm afraid there's no way for you and Charlotte to talk directly. I still don't have a firm grasp on linking to others and what all that does to me."

"Hmm… that's too bad." Yen didn't look nearly as disappointed as he thought she would. Then again, as a robot doctor she was probably less interested in things of the past and more interested in the future. It wouldn't surprise him at all if this had been on the whim of someone else. "Perhaps there is another way you can still help me."

The glint in her eye made him uncomfortable. Whatever she was about to ask next, must have been what she wanted from the beginning. "...No promises." He shrugged noncommittally, hoping that whatever she next said wasn't anything too crazy.

"I want a sample of your Aurora." She held up a series of vials, huge grin plastered across her face. "For scientific purposes, naturally."

"Uhh…" Unconsciously he glanced down at the crooked scars on either side of his arm before looking to Charlotte as if asking for permission from a parent. The ghostly girl seemed to actually contemplate her own answer for several moments before giving a shrug that more or less said she didn't see the problem. "...That's fine, I guess. I don't exactly know if your vial will even be able to hold it. The Aurora dissolves if it disconnects from me."

"You leave all that stuff to me!" Yen's grin became even bigger, and also slightly more creepy as she scooted the stool closer to him, holding up the case of vials impatiently. "Come on now! Show me what you got."

"That's what she said." Seriously, Charlotte, shut up. It was no small miracle he didn't say those words aloud.

Instead he focused on the scars embedded in his arm, watching the marred flesh wiggle and contort as the Aurora beneath the surface bubbled. The wounds tore open, red blood flowing freely from them and dripping onto the floor. A second later and the red, green, and purple light filtered out, swaying to a non-existent breeze like it was some sort of ribbon.

"Fascinating." Yen started to reach a hand for the light, but stopped just short of coming into contact with the glowing energy. "Is it okay if I touch it?"

' _Don't even think about saying it again, Charlotte.'_ He sent her a sharp glare, not at all surprised to find mouth halfway open in preparation to do just that. Under his scrutiny, face rearranged into a pout and she folded both arms in front of her chest to make sure he could clearly see the displeasure.

"It's probably not a good idea." He answered Yen's question as he turned back on the professor. "The Aurora tends to have a mind of its own and I don't know how it'll react."

Yen's fox ear flattened in disappointment, but otherwise the excitement on her face failed to diminish. "This is why it is imperative that I study it. Who knows what I may be able to find out? Are you able to control it well enough to fill all these vials?" She once more displayed the small case full of about a dozen of the cylindrical tubes.

"Shouldn't be too hard." Since really he wasn't going to be the one in control. All he had to do was ask it and… there it went! The waving ribbon began to tear, breaking into a dozen multi-colored strands that began to snake out as they elongated and reached for the vials. One by one they dipped into the tubes, slowing filling them with their light.

Once all dozen were full, Yen placed a lid overtop of them, that lid creating a low hissing noise as some mechanism inside it sealed shut and separated the Aurora strands from his body. He looked into the transparent container to see if the light would vanish. It did not, the once free-flowing material settling into the vials like some viscous liquid and maintaining their translucent light.

"No way…" Charlotte ducked down to look at it with him, eyes wide in awe. "No one from my time was capable of doing this. The future is incredible."

"It really is." He was impressed and this was his own time. He glanced at the fox faunus who was grinning triumphantly. "You'll let me know if you discover anything… right?"

"That all depends now, doesn't it?" Yen placed the container on the high desk next to her, giving a look that frankly made him feel incredibly uncomfortable.

"...On what?" He was really starting to get sick of feeling like he was dancing in the palms of all these adults.

"I consider Penny like a daughter to me, you know that, I assume?" He gave a small nod. Penny was incredibly fond of Yen, often speaking highly of her, and Yen seemed often to dote on the artificial girl, building her all kinds of new toys and gadgets. "As such, I'm rather iffy about sending her out on this suicide mission Shirou seems Hellbent on shipping you off on."

"If it makes you feel better, I'm not exactly looking forward to it, either." Of course, he wasn't even positive it would come to them going on this mission. They planned on having the team meeting to determine that after classes today.

"Your words do little to alleviate my concern." Yen adjusted her glasses, fixing him with a blunt glare. "I am going to look into this Aurora for you. Both in order to allow you to use it more efficiently and to possibly prolong your life-"

"Wait, what?" How the Hell did she know about that?

"Your little red teammate consulted with Penny about what your Semblance is doing to not just your memories, but your life." Damnit, Ruby. "Naturally, when going over Penny's databank I came across this information. Penny and that girl got rather close while you were taking that week-long nap. So much so that Penny even revealed her own secret to her." So Penny trusted Ruby with her secret and in turn Ruby told Penny her concerns? Or was it the other way around? No, more worrisome was if Ruby had told Blake or Weiss yet.

Charlotte wanted him to keep that information to as few people as possible. He hadn't really had a chance to explain any of that to Ruby yet, however. It could be disastrous if she mentioned it offhandedly to Blake. Their whole fight would blow up in his face all over again. Did the secrets never end?

"Moving on, I have a vested interest in keeping you alive. Penny is fond of you, and would take measures more extreme than I am comfortable with to ensure your survival. In the same vein, I am hoping you reciprocate that fondness."

"Meaning… what, exactly?"

"Nothing more than I want you to keep Penny safe. If you are in danger, she will come flying to your rescue, and has beyond doubt already proven so by quite literally doing as much. I expect you to do the exact same for her." That was it? If he agreed to keep Penny safe she would help him figure out how to get stronger and maybe even survive?

"You've got it." He nodded enthusiastically, blond hair bobbing in front of his eyes.

"I like your enthusiasm, kid." Yen stuck both hands in her lab coat pockets. "We'll see how you really feel when you have to go up against another one of those Primal Grimm, however. I hope you won't lose your backbone then." He'd already taken a Cackler claw to the gut for Penny, not that he could remember that. Nevertheless, he was pretty sure if he had once been willing to do that for her, there wasn't much of anything he wouldn't do.

"Anything else?" He started to stand up, noticing Charlotte already meandering towards the door.

"Just try not to forget this conversation before class starts." He gave pause at her words, glancing to see if Charlotte had caught them.

The other blonde merely shrugged. "Far as I could tell there was never much of a rhyme or rhythm to the way in which Aurora consumed memories. You might forget this, you might not." Reassuring, thanks.

"See you in class, then." He gave a short wave as he turned to walk away.

"You certainly will. Look forward to it!" The way in which she said those words sent a shiver up his spine.

Maybe he should skip today after all?

* * *

Deep breaths.

Take deep breaths.

Blake stood outside the door to the combat training class. Never before had she felt so nervous entering into a classroom. Of course, that was because she had never gone all out in a battle in front of all her peers not even two days ago before now either.

The way she had attacked Penny had been more aggressive than she ever normally fought. It was a side to her that the others had never seen before, specifically because she normally tried to hide it. And this just happened right after she had been coolly blowing the entire student body off for the better part of a week.

Damnit. Part of her wanted to be mad at Jaune, but she knew there wasn't anyone to blame but herself. Better to just get it over with. Just as she worked up the nerve to enter someone rather roughly pat her on the back. "Sup!"

It came as absolutely no surprise that the owner of said hand was the ever persistent monkey faunus. Every muscle in her face tried to grimace, yet somehow she managed to rearrange that into a soft smile instead. Part of trying to re-establish connections with everyone meant playing nice, after all. "Hello, Sun."

Her response earned a big grin from the enthusiastic faunus. "So we going in or did you want to just skip class for the day?" She had to admit, skipping had a certain appeal to it. Skipping with Sun, however, held certain implications she wasn't willing to entertain. Knowing him, he probably had a whole list of ideas to do, but it was the fact that rumors would undoubtedly spread that kept her from agreeing.

Just look at how quickly and uncontrollably the ones about Jaune went around. As his partner she had no doubt they would spread for her just as quickly. She had no desire to become another cog in the rumor windmill if she could help it. Again, not that anything she did the other day exactly worked in her favor.

"Come on." She nodded towards the door and the two of them walked in together. As they headed towards the bleachers on the other side of the room, she caught sight of Jaune. For the time being he sat by himself.

Other students usually took the chance to approach him. It would seem like they would be especially keen on seeking him out today, given this was his first appearance in class since the clash with the Prime Evil. Yet the rest of the class gave him a wide berth, several of them whispering amongst themselves as they gestured vaguely in his direction.

It didn't take more than a moment's observation to figure out why. Jaune wasn't actually saying anything, but it was obvious he was communicating with Charlotte judging by the exaggerated gestures and numerous facial expressions he was making.

"...He talking to that imaginary girl again?" Sun apparently knew something about her, which maybe made Jaune look at least a little less crazy in his eyes.

"She's a real person-" Sun gave her a dubious expression that she couldn't blame him for. "I think." She amended despite having chatted with Charlotte before. For all she knew, that girl had never been an actual person and was just some Semblance personification. Or maybe the other half of Jaune's soul? Or... she was thinking about this too hard and had been reading too much fantasy lately.

"The point is, he really believes he is talking to someone, right?" Sun sounded at least genuinely concerned for the sanctity of Jaune's mind.

"Jaune's not crazy… at least not in the way it looks like he is." She almost felt like she was the insane one just for defending him. It took an effort not to sigh as she walked up to him. "Jaune."

"Blake!" He stopped, in what looked like could've been mid-sentence, his whole face lighting up as blue eyes settled on her. "H-how are you doing?" Despite his efforts, he was clearly nervous as he fidget and wrestled to remain firmly still while they stared at one another.

"I'm fine." She pushed back a lock of black hair as she slid down into the spot next to him. "You… don't have to talk to me like I'm a stranger, you know? We were only not talking for about a week, not several years."

"No, I know. I just- umm… man, it's good talking to you in class, like normal. You know?" Was he taking speech lessons from Ruby? She was seriously starting to wonder if maybe there was a little something scrambled in that brain of his, after all.

"Normal… is what we're trying to get back to. Not that I'm sure I know what that is anymore." It would be nice to just for once not have so many things on her plate all at once. "I do know speaking with you like this helps me feel like things might one day be able to get back to that."

"Ah, I kind of get what you mean." Jaune nodded to himself, giving a small smile at her words.

"I have no idea what any of that was supposed to mean." Sun plopped down next to Jaune, big grin on his face but eyes clearly showing that he felt like he'd just been left out of some inside joke.

"Me either!" Jaune and Blake both jumped as Nora's head stuck in between them. When the heck did she even get here? "You guys are so silly. Talking about being normal, when that's just so boring… geez, you two sound like Ren." Blake would take boring if it meant not having to possibly deal with Shirou Schnee and his crazy secret agenda.

"Normal is overrated!" And as if she appeared out of thin air, Penny was now directly in front of them. Was it too much to ask she just get a moment of peace with her partner who she was also still trying to find the courage to be able to forgive? Who was she kidding… in this class it was asking _way_ too much.

"That might be the most normal thing I've ever heard leave your mouth." Sun's tail flicked playfully as he, Jaune, and Nora laughed. Penny joined in a second later, but it was painfully obvious she had no idea why they had begun to laugh in the first place.

Once their laughter died down, Penny turned to Jaune. "Aunty Yen wishes the first round to be between you and myself. We are to report to the stage when we are ready."

"Man… back to the good ol' routine." Jaune gave an exhausted sigh, ruffling his blond hair before rising to a stand. "Might as well get it over with."

"Jaune." As he started to walk away, Blake couldn't stop herself from calling out to him. He turned around curiously, waiting for several moments as she tried to figure out what to say. "...We still need to figure out what to do later, don't forget that." That didn't come out the way she wanted at all.

If those words miffed her partner and leader, he didn't show it. Instead giving an affirmative thumbs up. "You got it."

* * *

"I'm telling you, I think there was something else she wanted to say just then." Jaune had to fight the urge to give an exasperated sigh as he glanced at Charlotte out of the corner of his eye.

' _That's all well and fine, but what do you want me to do about it?'_ He kind of let the opportunity pass by already. And if Blake had decided against saying something there must have been a reason for it. Either she didn't want to say it with others around or maybe still hadn't forgiven him enough to say it in the end. If it was the former, he would find out later today; if it was the latter, well… he might find out eventually.

"I don't know." Charlotte shrugged, face setting into a disconcerted pout. "I just feel like it might have been really important for some reason." Was that supposed to be woman's intuition? Did that even apply to dead people?

' _No sense worrying about it now.'_ He had a fight to think about, which he was reminded of when the mechanical spider-like legs from Yen's backpack carried her over to him with audible metallic clicks.

"Talking to your imaginary friend again?"

"She's real dammit!" Yen smirked mirthfully at his shout, which only made him feel like sulking harder. He wasn't a lunatic…

"Question: How do you plan to handle your Semblance from here on in the future now that you're capable of utilising this Aurora?" Yen's rapid shift in both topic and demeanor threw Jaune for a loop and it took a second to gather himself.

"Well…" This was actually something he had been giving thought to. Charlotte said it wasn't the act of linking to others specifically that was causing his memories to disappear. Yet it was also true that when he linked to the others he built up more memories not his own, which couldn't be helping much either. "Now that I have Aurora, I have a way to fight for myself."

He didn't need to rely on his teammates or to borrow their Semblances anymore. Using that had proven to be rather limited already to begin with, as he had to be near them and they had to maintain concentration to feed it through the link. If there was one thing he had learned after that fight with the Prime Evil, he couldn't use Aurora and someone else's Semblance at the same time anyways.

If anything, refusing to link would hinder them more than it would him at this point, as they would lose their instant mental communication and would no longer have access to his larger pools of Aura. He had to talk to them yet, but he already knew the three of them were leaning away from him using the link anymore to begin with.

It was only under his constant insistence in the past they had agreed for so long as it was. "I may still link to them on an individual level, but only if it's an absolute emergency. A last resort." He would verify with them later but he had a feeling this decision would make the three of them happy.

As he glanced at Charlotte for support, she gave an approving nod. "It's probably for the best. Now that you've established a powerful connection, which you needed to link with someone and share the memories both ways to accomplish, you could say your Semblance has evolved to phase two: Linking properly to your predecessor and your weapon." Phase three would be getting that weapon known as Aurora to stop killing him then.

"I figured you would say as much. That is the most logical decision, after all." Yen too gave an approving nod. "That means we need to get you up to snuff using Aurora. So while I study it, we'll have you practice it as often as possible within this controlled environment."

"Thanks again. I really-"

"Save your breath. I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this because you roped Penny into something way over all our heads." Well, so much for thinking this professor was actually starting to warm up to him.

The mechanical legs clicked loudly against the metal tiles as they carried Yen away from him, the fox faunus now typing furiously at her scroll. "This match will be Jaune Arc of Beacon vs Penny Polendina of Atlas. Jaune will be restricted to combat only through the use of his Semblance. Penny has no restrictions."

"Wait, what?" He seemed to be saying that a lot lately.

He got that she was trying to get him to learn quickly, but Penny had only been allowed to use one sword without her strings before now. This was like switching the mode from easy to very hard when he still hadn't even gotten proficient at easy.

"I apologise, Jaune. Aunty Yen tells me this is for both your sake and my own." Penny did not look sorry at all as she said those words with a huge grin on her face. The backpack behind her unzipped, ten swords flying out and unfolding.

Unconsciously, he reached for Crocea Mors on his back only to find the weight strangely gone and hand grasping nothing but air. "Like I said, Jaune. Semblance only." Eye twitched as he looked at Yen, who tauntingly waved Crocea Mors like it was some kind of dog treat. When the Hell did she even do that?

"...You're not going to go easy on me either, are you?" He had a sinking feeling of dread that was only even more confirmed when Penny shook her head, orange hair bobbing back and forth with the motion.

"Not at all. I hope you are combat ready, Jaune." She flexed one arm, as if to flaunt some kind of muscle. She did know doing that really didn't accomplish anything since she was synthetic, right?

"Well then, without further ado:"

"Time out."

"Let the fight between-"

"Time out."

"Jaune Arc and Penny Polendina-"

"Hold it! Hold it! Do you have any idea what the heck the words 'time out' even means!?"

"Oh for the love of all things- what!?" Yen held out her wrist and tapped impatiently at the timer on her scroll. "We're on a schedule here. I may give Penny some shows of favoritism but even I can't spend the whole class period on just this one match."

"Aunty Yen, at least let him say whatever it is that is on his mind before our match." Thank you, Penny!

"Fine, but make it quick." That was some serious favoritism if he ever saw it. 'Some shows' his ass, she built her a freaking bullhead for personal use. Whatever, now wasn't the time. If he didn't hurry up and start talking Yen might very well change her mind.

"Penny… look-" He held out the arm that both scars were on, mostly just to emphasise where the Aurora was going to come from. "When I use Aurora… I don't actually have any control over it. I just link to it and it tries to protect me. If I'm lucky it does what I ask it to and lets me manipulate it a little."

"That is why we are having this practice, Jaune." Penny stated matter-of-factly. "I am trying to help you learn to control your new power. This way you no longer have to worry about it hurting you, or anyone else."

"And I appreciate that, I really do. Just… don't get too carried away. If the attack looks dangerous please back off. I seriously don't want to risk harming you because I don't know what I'm doing."

"That's quite the gall you have." Yen shook her head as if she was disappointed. "Do your worst. If you think just because you have a special new ability that you are capable of even landing a hit on Penny, you're in for a seriously rude awakening."

"That wasn't my intent-"

"If you got nothing else to say, I'm starting the match already." He must have really struck a nerve, judging by the seriously challenging glare she was giving him now. Whatever, he would just be sure not to let his own power get out of hand. That was all there was to it.

"Begin!" Yen shouted without warning, starting from where she left off previously. Penny's swords launched at him not even a second later, as if she was prepared for the sudden start.

"You know… you haven't even pulled out your Aurora yet, right?" At Charlotte's words, he looked down at the exposed scars that had yet to even open and then back at the incoming blades. With a girlish shriek that probably echoed throughout the whole building, he took off running.

"Time out! Time out!"

* * *

 **AN:** Well, I tried making a chapter that was a bit more light-hearted. Rereading my past few, everything in this story seems so dark and dreary lately. I can't erase everything that is going on with Jaune and at Lambent, but by trying to poke some fun at it, I hope to make it not seem quite so edgy.

I also feel the need to say this again, but I did not come up with the idea of Aurora. It is almost exactly the same ability that the main character in Rewrite (A Japanese Visual Novel) uses. I really liked the ability myself, so I changed it enough to make it work within Remnant and gave it to Jaune. The reason I felt like reiterating this is because Rewrite is actually getting an anime later this year (YES!). So once it has an anime it'll be much more available to a wider audience, as the process to download fan-translated Visual Novels can be painful and as such tends to turn people away from doing so. Obviously, this is fanfiction so borrowing or outright taking from other sources isn't unheard of, but it is worth crediting said source.

* * *

 **And welp, that's everything. Kind of fitting last words by Jaune. I took a major "time out" on the fic after this and it never did continue the same. Like I said in the beginning, if I ever do come back to Auburn, it will be to resume it from where the new version left off. If it helps give you a little bit of closure, however, I am now going to give you a brief summary of where the story would have gone from here. Keep in mind all this was planned before Volume 3 ever aired and it just as well could have changed as I went.**

 **Anyways, the next thing was Jaune and his team going on a mission and fighting a new Prime Evil. I think I would have just done one mission where everything went more/less to plan and they killed it. Jaune's condition naturally deteriorating.**

 **On the next mission to kill one, I had in mind that they would run into Pyrrha's team as well who was tracking an unusual signal at Shirou's request. They team up with them and find out it's a White Fang training camp and what's more, Adam is there. Blake's past naturally ends up getting drudged up here and they get captured by the White Fang. The White Fang steal Jaune's Prime Evil tracker thing and think it's going to lead them to a valuable resource. They end up releasing the Prime Evil and in the chaos, the teams get free but in order to defeat the Prime Evil, Jaune adds all of Pyrrha's team to his link as well.**

 **They supposedly kill the Prime Evil and Adam also "dies" during the encounter. Jaune's condition worsens and it's at this point Blake gets caught up on the details of what's happening to him and his time limit. She gets mad at him, but Jaune has so little recollection of himself at this point that it ends up not even being worth it. She comes up with a plan to help him. Shirou grants them a favor to let them take a vacation and they go to Jaune's hometown.**

 **Jaune's team is introduced to his family (This is actually where Jaune's sisters from my other story Spectrum would be cross-introduced into this story), but his family quickly grows concerned as Jaune is showing clear signs of not being himself. Blake convinces Jaune to link with all of his family, thinking that if he stocks up on memories of people who have a lot of memories with him, it will help him reclaim himself. Charlotte tries to dissuade him, but in the end he goes along with Blake and it seems to work.**

 **The relationship between Jaune and Charlotte deteriorates as Blake becomes increasingly convinced that she's trying to sabotage Jaune. Pushing Charlotte away and bonding more deeply with Blake who becomes increasingly the only person Jaune can recognise, he lets slip that he's in love with her. Blake at first rejects the notion, but while at a festival in his home village, agrees to pursue a relationship.**

 **At this point it's revealed to the reader but not the characters that the last Prime Evil they fought didn't die. It's actually a possession-type Grimm and takes over Adam's corpse.**

 **AWBR goes back to Lambent. Jaune and Blake are happy in their relationship and his memories seem to be mostly fine since linking with his family still. Only Shirou realizes the truth and calls out Jaune on it that he's faking it. Jaune reveals that he is and while at first it was better, his memory is deteriorating faster than before now. While having this conversation, The Prime Evil-possessed Adam gets into Lambent, getting past the laser system thanks to being inside a human/faunus body.**

 **Jaune and Shirou move to stop him but it gets to the Omega and merges with it. The Omega wakes up and opens a wormhole to one of the kingdoms, destroying Lambent in the process and bringing everyone in the tower along with it. Now I never decided which Kingdom because it didn't really matter. I was leaning towards Atlas in particular because of their military strength, but again it wasn't much important. The Omega is more or less unstoppable.**

 **So Jaune uses his Semblance and Arc Links with every single person in the Kingdom. This gives him enough power to greatly weaken the Omega but it puts everyone else out of commission and destroys his mind completely. He still manages to limp to the Omega which is now a husk about the size of a car, but he's not acting as a conscious decision but on pure instinct at this point. The Prime Evil Adam steps out from the husk of what's left to buy time for more Grimm to arrive and make the Omega strong again.**

 **Not!Adam and Not!Jaune essentially duke it out in a straight up fist fight that ends with Jaune about to lose but the Prime Evil running out of steam and disappearing. Jaune doesn't have enough strength to destroy the Omega and Grimm arrive. Just before he dies, Penny shows up (having not been affected by Arc Link since she stores her memory on data drives) and destroys the Omega husk by self-destructing. Jaune doesn't actually recognize Penny but somewhere deep inside of himself realizes this is someone he cared for and breaks down.**

 **Charlotte appears before him again and asks him if he would like to remember who he is. He nods and Charlotte dissolves herself down into a basis of memories, all of them containing information about who Jaune is at the expense of her own being. She fades out of existence and Jaune gets his memories back.**

 **He goes and finds his team, but none of them recognize him. Jaune realizes that the moment he lost his memories, everyone he ever Arc Linked with also consequently lost memories of him because Jaune Arc ceased to exist, which is what Charlotte had meant when she told him he would die and it was why no one ever remembered her. This means even his family no longer recognizes him anymore.**

 **Shirou at this point finds him and Jaune discovers that Shirou had actually rejected the Arc Link and so still remembers him. With Lambent gone and its purpose no longer needed, all the students who attended go back to their respective schools to finish out their education. Since Blake and the others don't remember Jaune, Ozpin has him withdrawn from the records. Instead, Jaune becomes an apprentice under Shirou who temporarily assumes command too of his father's company after Jacques is imprisoned for being the main conspirator behind hiding the Omega.**

 **Several years later, Weiss graduates Beacon and assumes command of the company. Ruby and Blake become her personal guards and Jaune is reunited with them at this time. They still don't recognize him, but at a party he and Blake hit it off. Jaune decides then that if he could make Blake fall in love with him once, he could do it again and final scene was just supposed to be him happily intermingling with Ruby, Weiss, and Blake.**

 **The End. That's more or less just the major story beats I had constructed out. Who knows how much might have changed or not as I went along and there's probably a lot of little things I would have added along the way too. It wasn't exactly meant to be a happy ending, but there was supposed to be hope for the future. Take that as you will.**


End file.
